Spiral Hearts: Eyes of Darkness
by Hachi-and-Shiro
Summary: Part 1 - Riku gets a letter from King Mickey saying he's found Riku's older brother, Eyes Rutherford. Sora, Riku, and Kairi must journey to Japan to bring him home. Caught up in the mystery of the Blade Children, can they keep moving forward? - yaoi/shounen-ai
1. The Letter

**Author's Note:** _Hello, this is Shiro! For those of you who read the previous version of this story, I apologize. I remade the chapters and changed the storyline a bit. I hope you like the new chapters. For those of you who are new to the story, please enjoy. We tried to stick to the original plots of Kingdom Hearts and Spiral as much as possible. ^-^

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_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

I had forgotten how beautiful the sunsets on Destiny Islands were. All that time in the darkness made me forget about a lot of the beauty in the realm of light. I had also forgotten the real reason I left home. In the beginning, I searched everywhere, but I never could find _him_. _He_ was the reason I wanted to go to other worlds. _He_ was the reason I convinced Sora and Kairi to make a raft. I hated the thought of leaving them again, but I had one last mission to complete before I could relax. I had to find _him_.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sora jump over the bent Paopu Tree I was sitting on. The same tree we sat on and dreamt of worlds beyond our island. Sora leaned on the tree and put his hands behind his head, a habit he had since he was little.

"Nothing's changed, huh?" I said more as a statement rather than a question.

"Nope. Nothing will." Sora answered simply.

"What a small world."

"But part of one that's much bigger." He added.

"Yeah."

We were silent for a moment, then Sora looked at me, "Hey Riku...what do you think it was–the door to the light?"

I laughed and jumped down. He straightened up from the tree and looked at me. I pointed to his heart, "This"

Sora put his hand over his heart, "This?"

"Yeah. It's always closer than you think."

He smiled his bright and cheery smile. I missed that smile while he was asleep. It was then that I realized that I loved his smile, and the way his bright blue eyes sparkled when he said my name. When it was gone, it was all I could think about. There was nothing I wouldn't do to keep that smile on Sora's face. Even if that meant giving him up to Kairi.

"Sora! Riku!"

_Well speak of the devil_, I thought. I looked over to where her voice came from. Kairi was running up to us with something in her hand. When she reached us she started panting.

"Hey, what's up?" Sora asked.

"Look!" She held up a bottle with a note in it. Mickey's Seal was the first thing I saw.

"From the King?" Sora took the bottle from Kairi, opened it, and read the letter inside. I looked over his right shoulder and Kairi looked over his left.

**This letter is for Riku.**

_Me?_

**Riku, I've found him, the one you're looking for. He's in a world far away from Destiny Islands. I believe he's in danger. You must go there before something bad happens. I'm sending a Gummi Ship to pick you up. It should arrive soon after you read this. It's already programmed with the coordinates of the world. I wish you the best of luck.**

**-Mickey**

_I don't believe it. He found him?_ I thought, _and he's in trouble!_

"Riku..." Kairi looked at me, "Who's 'he'?"

"It's...Eyes...isn't it?" Sora said, still looking at the letter.

"Yeah."

"Who's Eyes?" Kairi asked.

I stepped away from Sora and looked out over the water, "Eyes is…my older brother..."

"He disappeared before you got here, Kairi." I heard Sora say.

"It wasn't until you arrived that I _knew_ Eyes had gone to another world." I turned to my friends, "That was when I decided to go look for him."

Kairi was silent for a moment, "Sora...did you know about this?"

He nodded, "We decided it was best you didn't know about Eyes."

"He left without a word. My mother and the other islanders searched everywhere for him. After a few weeks…everyone assumed him to be dead. After that, not even mom mentioned him. Sora and I both knew he wasn't dead."

She went silent again. I looked at Sora, he was re-reading the letter.

"I..." We both looked at Kairi, "I want to go with you, if that's okay."

"Me too. Is that okay, Riku?" Sora looked at me.

I hesitated, "But..."

"We're finally together again, Riku. I may not know your brother, but I know he's important to you. You helped me back in the World That Never Was, so now it's my turn to help you." Kairi said.

"And don't think I'm gonna let you go off alone again, Riku." Sora added.

I smiled slightly at Sora's words, "Thanks, guys."

Kairi smiled, "This time, we can tell everyone that we're leaving."

Sora nodded, "I don't want my parents worried about me again."

"Then let's all go home and tell our folks. We'll meet here tomorrow."

"Okay!" Kairi ran back the way she came. I saw Sora watch her go. I always wondered what he was thinking about when he looked at her. _Does he have the same thoughts about her that I do of him? _I wondered.

"We're finally going to bring him home..." Sora said suddenly. He was just as fond of my brother as I was back then.

"Yeah."

"Riku?" Sora looked at me. My heart couldn't help but jump when he said my name. _Has that always happened?_

"Yeah, Sora?"

"I'm sorry." _What's he apologizing for?_

"For what?"

"I forgot about Eyes until now. I've been so focused on what's been happening, I just..."

"It's okay." I put my hand on his shoulder and took the letter from him, "I forgot, too." _Because I was focused on you._

"But now, we can find him. And ask him why the heck he left anyway."

I smiled, "Yeah."

Sora smiled that smile I loved, "Well, see you at school, Riku!" He turned and followed Kairi back to the boats, leaving my hand still floating where Sora was before. I sighed and dropped it to my side.

"You're so cute, Sora." I smiled and followed him off the island.

Step one was to talk to my mother. After Eyes left, she seemed to loose interest in me and everything else. I had been taking care of both her and myself before the world was swallowed by darkness. After Sora and I returned, however, she started to act like her old self. I think she realized that Eyes might not be dead after all.

I opened the door to my house and stepped inside, "Mom, I'm home." I walked into the kitchen to get something to drink.

"Riku?" I turned to see my mother standing in the doorway. Her large sea green eyes looked at me warmly, "Welcome home, dear."

"Yeah. Hey mom, I need to talk to you."

"What's the matter?" She could hear the seriousness in my voice. She moved some of her short, platinum blond hair with a hint of silver out of her face.

"You might want to sit down."

"Alright, let's talk in the living room."

I nodded and followed her into the other room. She sat down on the couch while I stayed standing. I took a deep breath and chose my words carefully, "Mom...I know where Eyes is." I looked at her seriously.

She gasped, "You...what?"

"He's in another world." I pulled Mickey's letter out of my pocket and handed it to her. She read it quickly.

"...You're leaving again." She said without looking at me.

"Yeah, and I'm not coming back without him."

"Oh, Riku..." She stood up and hugged me, "I just got you back."

"I know, mom. But I have to do this."

"I know..." she held my face in her hands, "Come back safe."

"I will." I hugged her back quickly and headed for my room.

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**Author's Note:**_ I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1! Chapter 2 will be written by me, Shiro._

**[Edit]:** _This chapter isn't very good, but it does get better as the story progresses. So please keep reading; I promise it will get better._


	2. Cherished Memories

**AN:** _Written by me, Shiro. This chapter features flashbacks from Riku's memory. I hope you enjoy.

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_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

Day one, Friday. I decided to skip school and went to our island to think. Leaning against the Paopu tree always made it easier to sort through my thoughts.

I watched the ocean glisten in the sunlight and laughed at myself. _How did I ever think a raft could take me to Eyes? _Actually, if we _had_ taken the raft we would probably have died on the ocean when we ran out of food. That thought made me wonder how Eyes left our world in the first place. I needed to ask him that when I found him. Along with why he left, why he didn't tell me he was leaving, and why he didn't come back.

_Why...Eyes?_ I thought.

_**Sora and I were sitting on the Paopu tree. Eyes leaned against it with a blank expression on his face.**_

_**"Is something wrong, brother?" I asked.**_

_**He looked up at me and smiled, "No, nothing's wrong…I was just thinking."**_

_**"About what?" Sora looked around me at Eyes.**_

_**Eyes looked back over the ocean, "Nothing…in particular."**_

_**"In…par…tic…lar?" Sora tried to pronounce the phrase he used.**_

_**Eyes looked sad again. I didn't like it when he was sad, because it made me sad. Then I had an idea, "Hey Sora," I whispered, "I have an idea."**_

_**He stopped trying to pronounce "particular" and looked at me, "What?"**_

_**"Let's show brother that place we found!"**_

_**"But Riku, that's our secret place!"**_

_**"Brother looks sad, and I think that it will cheer him up."**_

_**Sora pouted, "Okay."**_

_**I smiled and turned to Eyes, "Brother, we wanna show you something!"**_

_**He smiled at me, "Okay."**_

I looked at the entrance to our secret place. I never really wanted Kairi and the others to know about it. That place belonged to Sora, Eyes, and me. I decided to go inside for the first time in several years.

It was fairly dark in the cave, except for a small amount of light that came from a hole in the ceiling. It was enough to see the drawings on the walls. I hadn't drawn much if them; it was mostly Sora and Kairi. My eyes focused on one drawing in the back of the cave. Sora and Kairi sharing a Paopu.

I sighed and stepped closer to it. _As long as Sora is happy, I guess it doesn't matter if he's with me or Kairi. Maybe if Sora had a female clone or something, I'd have a chance._

"Riku?" I turned to see Sora standing at the entrance to the cave. He was still in his school uniform; blue-and-white checkered pants with a white buttoned shirt and a loose tie that matched the pants.

"Sora...is school out already?"

He nodded, "Did you skip? I didn't see you at all."

"Yeah. I didn't really feel like going."

"Right, I understand." He put his hands behind his head.

"How did your parents take it?" I asked.

"They understand. They said to make sure you didn't do anything stupid."

I chuckled, "Oh, and _you_ can act stupid?"

"Yes–hey!"

I laughed, "You walked right into that one, Sora." I never laughed or really smiled in front of anyone but Sora. It was easy to be my real self around him.

He pouted. He looked so cute when he did. I chuckled and put my hand on his head, "I was just teasing you, Sora."

He smiled that smile I loved so much, "I know."

I couldn't help myself; I leaned closer to him and kissed his forehead. Before he had time to react I turned and walked away, "See ya."

_I wonder how Eyes would feel about my feelings for Sora._ I thought as I left.

_**I was sitting on the ground of our secret place. Eyes was standing next to me, he was staring at the door-looking-thing at the back of the cave. Sora wasn't there.**_

_**"Y'know Riku..." He was still staring at the door.**_

_**I looked up at him.**_

_**He looked into my eyes and shook his head, "No…never mind."**_

_**His eyes looked sad again. I wanted to make him happy, "You wanna play a game brother?" I smiled.**_

_**He smiled back, "Sure…little brother."**_

It was soon after that that he left. He was probably going to tell me that he was leaving, but he didn't want to hurt me. That didn't help. Though he didn't know, I noticed that he was often in pain, but he always tried to hide it. _Is that why? Did he leave because he was in pain?_

Saturday went by quickly. I just gathered a few things to take with me to the other world. We were all going to the island tonight to wait for the ship. I hadn't seen Sora since our "encounter" in the cave, so I had no idea how he felt. _I wonder if he told Kairi…_

Sora and Kairi were sitting on the dock when I got there. They hadn't noticed me.

"...This reminds me of that day." I heard Kairi say, "We were sitting here just like this."

"You told me to never change." Sora replied.

"I did." She laughed.

Sora looked at her, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." She looked out over the water, "This time we're going together."

"Yeah." I could only imagine Sora was smiling right then. My smile. I may have loved Sora, but if being with Kairi made him happy then there was nothing I could do.

I took a deep breath and walked up to them, "Hey, you two."

They both turned and look at me, "Hey, Riku." Kairi said. Sora stayed quiet. He was probably still a little confused by what happened.

I sat down on the other side of Kairi, "Ready?"

Kairi nodded, "It's almost like we finally get to take our raft."

"Without the risk of actually taking the raft." I said lightheartedly.

Kairi giggled, "Oh, I almost forgot." She stood up and took something out of her pocket, "I made these for all of us." She held them out for Sora and I. It was her good luck charm and two others just like it. Sora took one and so did I. "Even if we get separated, as long as we never forget each other we'll never be apart."

_Pretty cheesy line Kairi_, I thought. I looked at the charm I took, _but...it's comforting._

"Look, there's the ship!" Sora pointed up at the sky. Kairi and I looked where he was pointing. Sure enough, our vessel had arrived.

"_**Riku! Look at this!" Sora shouted from up in a bent tree.**_

"_**What?" I climbed up with him.**_

"_**Look at this funny fruit." He held up a large, yellow star-shaped fruit.**_

"_**I've never seen a fruit like that before." I looked closer at it.**_

"_**Wanna split it? I'm starving."

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**AN:**_ Did Sora and Riku really share a Paopu Fruit when they were little? Well, I'm not going to tell you. Yet. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 of Eyes of Darkness. The next chapter is also mine. Again, please review and say what you thought of this chapter._

**[Edit]:** _It gets better from chapter 3 on. Chapter 4's not that great, but after that it'll get much better. Please be patient and stick around for future chapters!_


	3. Dreams and Reality

**AN:** _Shiro here. This chapter is 2 pages longer than the first two. Also, to those of you who skipped the new Chapter 1, go back and read it. I added more than the first version of it. Enjoy. Also, check out the new promo video for this story on mine and Hachi Sensei's youtube pages. My username is Rikusgirl1. Her's is cooltrainergamer._

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_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

The Gummi Ship Mickey sent us was pretty luxurious compared to what Sora told me of Donald and Goofy's. It must have been one of his private ones. It had a room in the back with a few beds and even a full bathroom. _What? No in-flight snacks? How far away is the world Eyes is on for us to need all this?_

I was glad there was a bed I could rest on. I hadn't slept since Mickey's letter had washed up on the beach. I assumed that was how Kairi found it. I figured resting my eyes a little wouldn't hurt. It might even take my mind off of Sora. _Like that's possible at this point._

"Riku?" Sora's voice called.

My eyes snapped open. I sat up and looked to where his voice had come from. He was standing in the doorway, "Sora? What's up?"

He had a slight blush on his face. His eyes looked bigger than normal. They seemed almost shy, "Can I...talk with you?"'

"Sure." I patted the spot next to me. I had a feeling that I knew what was on his mind, but I wasn't sure if then was the right time to tell him.

He sat next to me and looked at his hands, "Riku...about yesterday...in the Secret Place..."

Just as I thought, "I was just messing with you, Sora." _That's a lie, but..._

He looked up at me. His eyes had a hurt look, "Oh...is that...all it was?"

I couldn't stand seeing those perfect blue eyes hurt. If he was hurt that it was nothing more, then that meant he must have wanted it to be more. Then was the time, "No. That wasn't what it was."

"Really?" His eyes lit up.

"Really. The truth is, Sora..." I reached for him and lightly brushed my hand against his cheek, "I..."

"Yes, Riku?" His eyes sparkled. I leaned in slowly, careful not to scare him away. He didnn't move, even when my lips were just an inch away from his.

"I really like you..." I felt his gasp for air. His mouth opened slightly. I couldn't hold back anymore. I closed the distance between our lips with a long-awaited kiss. My eyes closed in bliss. Sora soon kissed me back. At last, Sora was mine. His lips, his body…they were all mine_._ My hands moved up his sides, over his shoulders, and down his arms. He shivered underneath my touch. I pushed him down on the bed, not breaking the kiss for anything. His arms wrapped around me and held me closer to himself. I pulled my lips away slightly, "I love you, Sora."

"I love you too, Riku." His voice was quiet and alluring.

"Sora." I kissed him again. He pressed his body to mine, moving his leg in a way so that I could feel his growing arousal. I moaned into the kiss and slid my hands under his shirt. He unzipped my shirt and rubbed my bare chest, "Mmm...Sora, I want to make love to you."

"Take me, Riku."

"Oh, I will." I kissed his neck as my fingers find his nipple. I twisted it just enough to get a gasp from Sora.

"Ahh...Riku, wake up."

Those words made me stop. _That was a strange thing to say._ I looked up at him, "Wh...what did you say?"

"Wake up." His voice echoed in my head and my vision blurred. I no longer felt Sora under me. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again I was staring up at Sora from the bed. It was a dream.

"Sora...?" _Just a dream..._

"Are you okay? You were moaning in your sleep."

_Of course I was_, "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a dream." I sat up and sighed. _What a dream it was, too._

"You sure you're okay, Riku?" he sounded concerned.

_Stop saying my name like that. It's too much_, "Yeah. I just need a shower." I jumped up off the bed. I walked past him and headed for the bathroom.

"Okay." I heard him leave and the door shut behind him. I sighed again as I entered the bathroom. I stopped and stared into the mirror. I needed a long, cold shower.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

_Why didn't Donald and Goofy have a Gummi Ship like this one?_ I wondered how they were doing. Watching the stars fly by the window made me miss them a little. It was to be with Riku and Kairi again, though.

Riku. He had changed since he was trapped in the Realm of Darkness. Kairi had changed, too. Was I the only one who hadn't? Or… had I changed? Riku told me about Castle Oblivion, and how my memories got all messed up. I was still confused about that. It was just so hard to believe that I was asleep for so long.

"Hey, Sora." Kairi walked into the Control Room where I was sitting.

I smiled at her, "Hey, Kairi."

"What are you thinking about?" she tilted her head slightly.

"Stuff. I'm mostly wondering about how all my friends are doing."

"You mean Donald and Goofy?"

"Yeah. Them and Leon, Cid, Yuffie, Cloud, and everyone else."

"I'm sure they're fine."

"Yeah, me too." I looked back out the window.

She was quiet. I heard her sit next to me, "Can you tell me more about Eyes?"

I looked at her again, "I'll try. I was really little when he was here."

"Just tell me what you can."

"Well, he was really quiet around everyone but Riku and me. Even then, he'd mostly watch us play and not join in himself. Riku, Eyes, and I would go everywhere together. He did have a soft spot for cats, though." Kairi and I laughed a little. I looked at our reflection in the window, "When he was gone...I was really sad. Then you showed up, Kairi. When you came to the Islands, everyone was able to move on. I thought Riku did too, but...well, it's hard for him. He still misses him."

"You do too, Sora."

I looked at her, "Yeah. That's why we're going to bring him back. So Riku can be happy again, too."

"You really care about Riku, don't you?"

"Of course. He's my best friend."

"He cares a lot about you, too."

"I would hope so. I wouldn't want a friend who didn't care about me."

She giggled, "That's true."

I looked up at the stars, "He sure does like to tease me, though. I mean, just yesterday he..." I caught myself and left the sentence hanging. Sometimes I talked too much. I hadn't planned on telling _anyone_ that.

"He what?"

"He..." When it happened I didn't know what to think. He looked at me and then…kissed me. Well, my head anyway. He must have just been trying to mess with me.

"What did he do?"

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

Water dripped onto the floor from my still-wet hair. I leaned against the wall and stared at nothing. _I need Eyes' advice now more than eve_r, I thought to myself. _I'm in love with my best friend. How do I deal with this? Eyes would know. He always knew what to say to make me feel better. I don't want to do something that will drive Sora away from me. Eyes..._

I sighed and walked out to the bedroom. _I'll change and then go out to where Sora and Kairi are. I can't do anything yet. I'll just pretend everything's normal._ The clothes I had on were kind of sweaty, so I changed into some loose jeans and a white button-shirt. I didn't care about my hair. It would dry on its own time. I started for the door, but stopped when I saw something that looked like wood on top of Sora's bag. When I looked closer I realized that the wood was the two wooden swords Sora and I used to play with. _Heh, that's just like Sora._ I picked up the swords; _maybe a quick spar will take my mind off of kissing him._ I walked over to the door and reached for the button to open it.

"He kissed my forehead." I heard Sora say quickly. I froze. _Is he...telling Kairi what happened between us?_

"He what?" she sounded surprised.

"He was just messing with me. It worked, too." He laughed, though it sounded a little nervous.

I didn't hear Kairi laugh, "Sora...what if he wasn't?"

"Huh?" Sora and I said at the same time. I said it as a whisper so only I could hear. _Is Kairi…is she going to tell Sora for me?_

"What if Riku isn't messing with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've been watching how Riku acts around you recently. What if that kiss meant something else?" _She's been watching me? Am I that obvious?_

"Like what?" _Oh, Sora. You're so dense. Kairi saw right through me, but you still don't understand even when she's spelling it out for you. So cute._

"Like Riku has feelings for you, Sora." _There. She said it. Now, how will Sora react?_

There was a bit of a silence. _If only I could see Sora's face right now! What is he thinking?_ "That's..." I heard him say.

"It's not impossible, Sora."

"Riku..." _The way he said my name just now_...it was not how I expected him to say it._ He didn't say it lovingly, or like it's a treasure that will fade with use...where am I getting these metaphors?_

"How do you feel about him?" Kairi asked.

Sora hesitatesd, "I..."

_No. I can't hear his feelings for me indirectly. Even if he rejects me, I want to hear it face to face. Not through Kairi._ I pushed the button for the door and quickly stepped through it as it opened, "Hey."

Sora jumped when he heard me. I saw him blush before turning away, "Hey, R-Riku."

"Your hair's soaked, Riku." Kairi said to change the subject. I was half-glad she did.

"I took a shower." I walked over to them. Sora watched my reflection on the window.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't dry it." _I wanted Sora to say that. Not Kairi._

"I'll be fine. Hey Sora, catch!" I threw a sword at him.

"Huh?" he turned around and nearly dropped the sword as he caught it.

"I found these on your bag. Wanna spar?"

He looked at me for a second, then smiled, "Yeah!"

Kairi stood between us and held out her arm, "Ready?"

I raised the sword above my head in my fighting stance, "You don't have a chance."

He took his fighting stance as well, "Bring it on!"

"Go!" she raised her arm and jumped back quickly. Sora took the first swing, which I easily blocked. He had a pattern that I picked up from fighting alongside him. I countered with my own attack, but he rolled out of the way and ended up behind me. I quickly turned to block his next attack, but instead of swinging at me he jumped over me, flipping in the air, and landed on the other side. I turned, but that time I wasn't fast enough. He swung and hit my chest, knocking me backwards. I hit the controls behind me. Almost immediately an alarm started to go off. _Not good._

"What's happening?" Kairi covered her ears.

"Riku, are—" before Sora could finish his question, the door of the airship started to open.

I felt myself being pulled toward the door and grabbed onto a bolted down chair, "Hold onto something!"

Sora grabbed the chair near him, "Kairi! Grab my hand!" he reached for Kairi. She tried to reach for Sora, but was pulled toward the open door, "Kairi!" he let go of the chair and jumped for her.

"Sora!" I reached for them. _No. No, no, no! Not now!_

Sora grabbed Kairi's hand and summoned his Keyblade. He stuck it into the ground for support, "I gotcha Kairi!" He pulled her up so she could hold onto the Key.

"Sora, the emergency button by the door! Close it!" I called over the noise of the alarm and the wind pulling us out. He nodded and reached for the button. He couldn't reach while holding the Keyblade.

"Hold on." I let go and let myself slide to where they were and grabbed onto the Keyblade. I held my hand out to Sora. He nodded and took it. I braced myself as he let go of the Keyblade and was pulled away from us. I held onto him tight, "There, now!"

Sora reached for the button. His fingers reached barely an inch away, "Almost…got it…" He loosened his grip on my hand to reach farther.

"Sora, your hand's slipping. Hurry!"

He reached forward and managed to push the button, "Got it!" as he said that my hand slipped from his and he fell forward out of the ship. I heard him shout.

"Sora!" I let go and jumped after him before the door closed.

"Sora! Riku!" I heard Kairi yell before the door shut completely.

I saw Sora's form in front of me. Being in the void between worlds was dark and quiet. I called for him, but my voice didn't sound in the empty nothingness. I reached for him, hoping he would look up and see me. I kept calling him.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I couldn't see anything. _Are my eyes even open?_ I couldn't hear anything. _Where's the ship?_ The darkness felts familiar somehow._ Is this a dream? Riku...Kairi..._

"So..." I heard something in the distance, "...ora...Sor...Sora..." _Riku's voice?_

"Ri...ku...?" I looked around me. My body moved freely as if I were floating in water. I kept looking until I saw him. I reached for him, "Riku...!"

"Sora! Hurry, grab my hand!" I tried. I kept reaching for him, but just like the day our Island was swallowed by darkness I couldn't seem to touch him. I felt myself loosing focus. _Is this it? Is this the end? Riku...Kairi..._Riku faded from my vision. I was left alone again. I felt dizzy. Soon, I lost consciousness completely.

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**AN:** _I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did! ^-^ I'm not that good at writing fight sequences, so if that part's not the best I understand. Next chapter will be written by me, and then Hachi Sensei and I will write the chapter after that together. Until next time, please review! Sayonara!_


	4. Alone

**AN**: _So, this chapter is kind of short. Sorry about that. The next chapter will be twice as long I promise. Also, I'll say this one last time. If you've skipped any of the first 3 chapters of this story for any reason, go back and read them now. Otherwise this chapter will make absolutely no sense. I hope you enjoy it. ~Shiro-chan

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_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

Again, I was alone. Again, those two disappeared behind a closing door. _Why is it that I'm always separated from them? _I looked at the control panel of the Gummi Ship. _There must be something I can do to get them back, or at least get help._ It looked like the ship was still on course for the world Riku's older brother was on. It was taking me farther away from them. _What do I do? Do I just wait until I get to the world and find someone there to help? Who would be there who could? I have to try. If anything I might be able to contact the King._

It didn't take long to get there. We must have been close when Sora and Riku fell out. As soon as the ship lands I stepped outside. It was nighttime. I landed in what looked like an open field._ Must be because if anyone saw the ship land it would freak them out…_ I turned back to the ship.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you Kairi-san?" a soft voice said from behind me. I jumped and turned around. There was a tall blond man smiling at me. He had on a white buckled overcoat and black pants.

"Um…yes. I'm Kairi." I said reluctantly, "How do you know my name?"

"Forgive me. I am Fai D. Flourite. I know your name because King Mickey told me." His light blue eyes showed no signs of deceit.

"The King told you?"

He nodded, "I'm supposed to welcome you and your friends to Japan. Speaking of which, where are they?"

"Sora and Riku…" I looked at the ground.

"What's taking so long over there?" A deeper voice called from the distance. Fai and I both turned to see a man with short black hair walking up to us.

"Impatient as always, Kuro-pu?" Fai said to the man. _Kuro-pu?_

"Stop calling me that." The man answered in an annoyed tone. He looked at me for a second, "Where's the rest of them?"

"Um…they fell out of the ship on the way…" I said.

"Oh dear, that can't be good." Fai crossed his arms.

"Great." 'Kuro-pu' said rather sarcastically.

I looked at him, "Um…Kuro-pu—"

"The name's Kurogane, 'kay? Don't listen to what this guy calls me." He pointed to Fai.

"Okay, Kurogane. Actually, I was wondering if you guys know how to contact the King?"

"You want to ask him how to get Sora and Riku back, right?" Fai asked. I nodded. He smiled and walked into the Gummi ship. I followed him. He went to the control panel, "Let's see now. If I'm not mistaken, the communicator button should be right…" his finger hovered over the buttons, "Here." He pressed one of them. The window in front turned into a screen. The image on the screen was fuzzy at first, buy it soon cleared up. Two chipmunks were standing onscreen; one of them had a red nose.

"Chip and Dale at your service! What do you need?" The brown-nosed one said.

"Hello there, is His Majesty available? This is Fai."

"Hey there, Fai!" The red-nosed one said, "The King is a little busy right now. Can we help?"

"Maybe. You see—"

I stepped in front of him, "Sora and Riku fell out of the ship before we got here! They need help!"

They both jumped when they heard this, "Oh no!"

"Is it possible that they ended up in another world when they fell?" Fai suggested calmly.

"That's possible! If so, then we might be able to help. Dale, go tell the King!"

"I'm on it!" Dale ran off.

"The King will know what to do." Chip said.

I looked down at my hands, and then I felt Fai's hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry, Kairi-san. We'll have those two here before you know it."

"Hmph, how the hell did they fall out anyway?" Kurogane asked.

I looked at him, "They were sparring with wooden swords. Riku fell back and hit the controls. He must have triggered the door to open somehow, because it did. And…"

"Idiots." Kurogane folded his arms.

"Kuro-tin, don't be so rude."

"Hey, fellahs." A very familiar voice said from the monitor. We all turned to it.

"Hello, Your Majesty." Fai bowed with one hand in front of his chest.

"It's good to see you again, Fai. You too, Kairi."

I smiled slightly and nodded, "Can you help us?"

"Yes. I think I have an idea. If we can program the Gummi Ship to lock onto Sora's heart, it should be able to follow it to where he and Riku are. Then it can bring them both back here."

"And that will work?" I asked him.

"Yup, I'm positive!"

I smiled at him, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

* * *

**AN**: _Like I said, a short chapter. By the way, Fai and Kurogane and other Tsubasa characters in this story aren't exactly the same ones who are searching for Sakura's feathers. We're taking the idea from Tsubasa that in different worlds there could be an alternate version of themselves. I'm trying not to make Kairi look bad, because I don't hate her. I actually rather like her. Hope you stick around for chapter five. You yaoi fans might like the world Sora and Riku have ended up on. Until next time, please review!_


	5. The Moon's Curse

**AN: **_This is Shiro. Hachi wrote Sora's part and I wrote Riku's part. It's probably going to be like that from now on. On another note, I know this is a Kingdom Hearts/Spiral crossover, but anything can happen in a Kingdom Hearts fanfiction. These couple of chapters are the reason I had to redo the first three chapters. Oh, and we've given last names to Sora and Riku. Sora Kaze and Riku Heart. I hope you all enjoy the story!

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_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I began to awaken to the sound of silent tapping of keyboard keys. As my senses returned, my head exploded in pain. I groaned as I cracked my eyes open, only to be blinded by a bright light. As I waited for my eyes to adjust, I heard the typing stop. I heard a chair swivel from nearby.

I dropped my head to the side, so I could see who it was. A boy, looking no older then twelve, looked at me. He had coal black hair with matching eyes. I noticed he had a bandage on his cheek. He wore a plain black t-shirt and blue jeans. I noticed that he also had another bandage on his right wrist. I saw something twitch behind his seat and saw a black cat's tail swaying behind him. When I returned my gaze to his face, I noticed two black cat ears planted on his head.

"Who are you?" The boy asked as he looked at me coldly.

"Sora. Sora Kaze." I answered with a groan.

The boy watched me quietly as he processed my name. He didn't say anything for a while. I winced while I started getting up, my head was aching badly.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Keep your voice down." The boy said as he stood.

"What's your name?" I asked again quietly.

"Ritsuka Aoyagi." He answered.

"Nice to meet you Ritsuka. Why am I here?" I asked.

"My friend, Yuiko, and I were walking home from school. I found you in a field near my house and brought you here." Ritsuka explained.

"Thanks for helping me." I replied.

"You'll have to keep it down. My mom doesn't know you're here." Ritsuka stated sadly.

"Okay? Why?" I asked.

"She wouldn't have allowed you to stay if she knew." Ritsuka said.

"Okay. Why do you have cat ears and a cat tail?" I asked.

Ritsuka looked at me confused for a second.

"What do you mean? I'm only twelve so of course I have them." He said confused.

"Huh? What's age got to do with it?" I asked confused.

"You should know; you still have yours." He said, pointing at my head.

"What?" I asked as I felt my head.

I froze as I felt two furry cat ears twitch as I touched them. I felt behind me and felt what I guessed was a bushy cat's tail.

"Oh…I must have forgotten." I said as a cover up.

"I'll answer your question in case you really did forget." Ritsuka said.

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"You and I still have our cat ears and tails because we haven't had sex." Ritsuka said.

"Uh…okay?" I asked.

"You're really naïve." Ritsuka said bluntly.

"Hey!" I exclaimed quietly.

He smiled at me before looking serious again.

"Do you mind if I ask a few questions?" He asked.

"Nope," I replied.

"Why were you passed out in the field?" He asked.

"Last I remember I was with Riku and Kairi. I blacked out, and the next thing I remember is waking up here." I answered.

"Riku and Kairi?" Ritsuka asked.

"They're my friends. Riku has platinum blond hair with a hint of blue… or was it silver? He has aqua green eyes by the way. Kairi has maroon colored hair with blue eyes." I said as I tried to describe them.

"Aren't silver and platinum blond the same thing? Also what do you mean by blue or silver?" Ritsuka asked confused.

"I think so…don't really know. Also, where we're from the light hits his hair changing the shade…" I said, confusing myself.

"Where are you from?" Ritsuka asked.

"Nowhere near here." I answered.

"That doesn't tell me much." Ritsuka stated.

"Well, why don't you tell me where I am first?" I suggested.

"Tokyo, Japan." Ritsuka said.

"Ah. I come from a small remote country town." I half-lied.

"How'd you end up here?" Ritsuka asked.

"Riku and I were going to visit his brother, and we got separated. He had all our Munny." I half-lied again.

"Well, I hope you find each other." Ritsuka said.

"Thanks. I don't know what I'm going to do 'til I find him." I said sadly.

We were quiet for a bit as we both took all this in. I jerked when I heard a tap at the window. I looked up as Ritsuka stood to face the window. The window slid open as a man walked into the room.

The man had long light blond hair and blue eyes hidden behind glasses. His ears were pierced and had butterfly earrings in them. His neck was wrapped in bandages, and he wore a black long sleeved shirt and jeans. He gazed at me coolly once he was in the room.

I instantly tensed up as our eyes met. I seemed frozen as if under a spell. My mind raced as I tried to look away. His eyes were so cold, powerful as if he were indeed casting a spell on me.

"Soubi," Ritsuka said.

"Who's this?" The man, Soubi, asked.

"Sora. Yuiko and I found him passed out in a field." Ritsuka explained.

"And your mother's okay with him staying?" The man asked.

"She doesn't know." Ritsuka stated coolly.

"Ah. Well nice to meet you Sora. I am Soubi." The man introduced.

"Um… n-nice to meet you." I stuttered.

Soubi stare at me with his intense eyes for a moment like he was studying me. I could tell by the way he watched me that I wasn't trusted by him. I finally ripped my gaze from his and looked at the floor.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka said in a commanding voice.

"Ah… so sorry." Soubi replied.

"I… It's okay…" I said uneasily.

"Tell me, where is your Fighter?" Soubi asked.

"Fighter?" I asked confused.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka cried, surprised.

"Just ignore what I asked." Soubi said as he smiled at me.

"Um… Okay?" I agreed confused.

"It's nothing, Sora." Ritsuka said easily.

I yawned as Ritsuka and Soubi quietly talked. I lay back on the bed I had Ritsuka make on the floor where I'd be hidden from his mom. I soon fell asleep as the two talked. The last words I heard were:

"He's a Sacrifice…he may be here to cause trouble." Soubi said.

"I don't think so." Ritsuka answered.

I soon fell into a deep sleep, where I dreamt of a time I was a child and a voice that I faintly remembered.

I opened my eyes as I heard birds chirping outside the window. It had been three days since I fist awoke in Ritsuka's room. I still had no idea where Riku was, though I hadn't had a chance to look yet.

I was currently borrowing Ritsuka's clothes since all my other clothes were still on the Gummi Ship. I wore a black tank top which, belonging to a twelve year old, came to my midriff and showed my stomach. I had a black sweatshirt over it though that only covered a little more than the shirt and still showed my stomach. I had also borrowed a pair of Ritsuka's pants that reached above my ankles but were very tight. To complete the outfit I wore my usual gloves, belts, shoes, and my necklace.

I was currently playing a video game that Ritsuka let me to play while he was doing his homework. As I finished another boss, Ritsuka's phone rang. I looked up as he answered the phone.

"Soubi?" Ritsuka asked.

I went back to the game as Ritsuka continued to talk. Only one thing caught my attention.

"Riku?" Ritsuka asked curiously.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

Slowly, my senses began to return to me as I laid in the darkness. _Am I…alive? I thought I was fading…_ I felt something roaming over my body. It almost felt like a hand. _I'm definitely alive._ I tried to open my eyes only to be blinded by light. I groaned and immediately closed my eyes again. The roaming stopped. I opened my eyes again as a shadow passed over my face, blocking out some of the light. My eyes adjusted as I tried to take in just what exactly was looming over me. When I realized it was a face I attempted to jerk away, but strong hands pushed me back down.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." The man stated calmly. I relaxed slightly at his words and took in his features. His long blond hair was tied back into a ponytail. Round glasses covered his piercing blue eyes. I also noticed that he had pierced ears. _Butterfly earrings?_ His neck was wrapped in bandages. He looked at me calmly, "Sit up slowly, now." He ordered.

I did so as he handed me a glass of water. I took it with a word of thanks and took a few long sips. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was. I held my head in my hand to ease my slight headache. Everything that had happened on the Gummi Ship felt like a dream. _A nightmare_, I added. _I reached for Sora's hand, but I must have lost consciousness after that…_

I then felt something twitch on top of my head. _Wait, what?_ I move my hand higher on my head until it hit something…fuzzy. _What?_ I glanced around the room until I spotted a small mirror set against the wall. I blinked and stared at my reflection. A pair of silver cat ears sat comfortably on top of my head. _What the…?_ I tugged at them slightly to make sure they were real. They were. _Why the hell do I have cat ears?_ I felt something against my leg and looked down to see a long, silver tail. _That's mine, too? Wait, I remember Sora telling me he changed appearances in some worlds._

I looked back at the man sitting across from me. _He doesn't have cat ears or a tail. _I noted. _He looks about four or five years older than me. Maybe people in this world loose their ears when they come of age?_

He had been watching the whole time, "My name is Soubi Agatsuma."

"Huh? Oh, Riku Heart." I replied.

"I didn't find any identification on you." Soubi stated.

_Identification? If I had any it would be in my room back home_, "What do you mean?"

"You're name."

"I just told you, it's Riku."

Soubi is silent for a moment, "How old are you, kid?"

"Sixteen. And my name's not 'kid'. It's Riku."

"Why were you passed out in the park?" _Persistent with these questions, isn't he?_

"Uh…" _I might as well lie._ I figured. _I can't exactly tell him I'm from another world,_ "I don't know…I think I wasn't feeling well."

"Hmm…" His eyes said he didn't believe me at all, "Where is your Sacrifice?"

"Excuse me?" _What's that supposed to mean?_

"Look kid, I know you're a Fighter. Now, where is your Sacrifice?"

"For the last time my name is Riku." I said, slightly annoyed. "Listen, I don't know what you mean by 'Fighter' and 'Sacrifice', so could you just tell me where I am?"

"My home in Tokyo." He said in his still calm tone.

"Tokyo? What's Tokyo?"

"What's Tokyo? Tokyo is the capital of Japan. Did you loose your memory or something?"

"Um…" _Yeah, let's go with that._ "Maybe…"

"Interesting…" he said to himself. "Tell me, does 'Septimal Moon' mean anything to you?"

"Not a thing."

"I see, so then you don't remember anything before waking up here?"

"Nothing." I sighed and looked at my hands. _I hope Sora's okay_. I thought. _Did he end up in this world as well?_ I looked up at Soubi. He seemed to be thinking about something, "Hey, Soubi?"

He looked at me, "What is it?"

"Did you see a boy with spiky brown hair anywhere near where you found me?"

"You were the only one there."

"Damn…" _So, Sora might not be here…_

"Did you remember something?"

"Only him. His name is Sora. His is the only face I remember."

"Sora? Wasn't that boy's name Sora?" He asked himself.

"What!" I moved closer to him, "You know Sora? Where is he? Is he okay?"

"Calm down, he's fine. He's staying with Ritsuka." Soubi stated in his unchanging tone. I didn't know who Ritsuka was, but I breathed a sigh of relief anyway. Sora was safe, and that was all that mattered.

Before I had time to ask if Soubi could take me to Sora, the front door swung open and a man who looked about the same age as Soubi came inside. "Yo, Sou-chan!" The man said. He had bright green hair and dark brown eyes that were hidden behind large-framed glasses. He also didn't have any cat ears or a tail.

Soubi looked at him and didn't say anything.

"I brought some food. I thought we'd–" The man noticed me for the first time and stopped, "Who're you?"

"Ri–"

"He's a kid I found passed out in the park." Soubi interrupted me.

"So you brought him home like he was a little lost kitten?"

"My name is Riku." I said before Soubi could answer.

The man looked at me, "Ri-chan, huh? My name's Kio Kaidou. You can call me Kio."

"No, my name…" I sighed, "Never mind."

I sat quietly and ate my portion of the food Kio had brought. Soubi had explained what I had told him to Kio, to which Kio responded with apologizing for thinking he was trying to steal the ears of a kid. _Wait, stealing my ears? How can he…_ it hit me then. I blushed slightly as I realized what the cat ears and tail really meant, and how someone would loose them.

Kio left shortly after, but not before hinting that he was jealous that I get to sleep at Soubi's place. I didn't care about that. I only had one thing on my mind. "Soubi." I said.

"What is it?"

"I want to talk to Sora."

He looked at me for a moment, as if thinking about weather or not he should let me, and then picked up a cell phone. He pressed a button, which probably meant the number was on speed dial, and held it to his ear. After a few seconds he said, "Hello, Ritsuka." I stood up and waited impatiently next to him. After a little small talk he said, "I have someone here who might be one of Sora's friends. His name is Riku … Yes, give the phone to him."

I snatched the phone from Soubi's hand and held it to my ear, "Sora? Is that you?"

"Riku?" My heart leapt; it was Sora's voice. He was all right.

"Sora." I breathed out in relief.

"Riku! It's you! I can't believe-" I heard someone on his end shush Sora, then he continued in a quieter voice, "I'm glad you're okay."

"Likewise. I hope you didn't have _too_ hard of a time without me." I teased him.

"I think I managed being on my own for a few days just fine."

"A few days? I just woke up in this world an hour ago."

"Really? I must have gotten here first somehow."

"Well, that doesn't matter now. Once we meet back up we can figure out how to get out of here and find Eyes."

"And Kairi." Sora added.

"Right…and Kairi." I had completely forgotten about Kairi.

"But how are we supposed to get out of here?" Sora began to get louder as he went on, "We don't have a ship, you can't summon corridors of darkness anymore, all of our stuff is still on the Gummi Ship and–" I heard a banging on the door and a woman yelling, though I couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Idiot!" I heard another boy say quietly, but loud enough so I could hear it through the phone, "I told you to be quiet. Hide!"

"But–" There was a beep and the phone went silent.

"Sora? Sora! What happened?" I took the phone away from my ear and looked at it, "Dammit!"

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**AN: **_So begins Sora and Riku's adventure in the Loveless world. The title of this chapter is the English translation of the name of the Loveless opening song, Tsuki no Curse. I hope you enjoyed it, and please review and keep reading! Oh, and Hachi created a promo video for this whole series. We're calling it Spiral Hearts. There are going to be three stories to it. We have it all planned out, so hopefully it shouldn't take us too long to finish._


	6. Innocence

**AN: HEY! Hachi here! How's everyone doing? I hope you all liked the last chapter! Well, here is the next one!**

**AN: **_This is Shiro. We put a lot of heart into this chapter; I hope you find it as enjoyable, and horrifying, as we did. There's a lot of drama in this chapter, but this is my favorite that we've written for this story so far.

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_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I snatched the phone from Ritsuka's hands excitedly and put it to my ear.

"Sora? Is that you?" I heard Riku say over the phone.

"Riku?" I asked excitedly.

"Sora." I heard him say in relief.

"Riku! It's you! I can't believe–" I started to say.

"Quieter." Ritsuka shushed me urgently.

"I'm glad you're okay." I continued quietly.

"Likewise. I hope you didn't have _too_ hard of a time without me." Riku teased me.

"I think I managed being on my own for a few days just fine." I said with a small laugh.

"A few days? I just woke up in this world an hour ago." Riku said, sounding confused.

"Really? I must have gotten here first somehow." I said as I thought over what he said.

"Well, that doesn't matter now. Once we meet back up we can figure out how to get out of here and find Eyes." Riku stated determinedly.

"And Kairi." I added.

"Right…and Kairi." Riku said, though it sounded forced.

"But how are we supposed to get out of here?" I began to get louder as I went on, "We don't have a ship, you can't summon corridors of darkness anymore, all of our stuff is still on the Gummi Ship and–"

I stopped when I heard thundering steps coming up the stairs and a banging on the door and a woman yelling.

"Ritsuka! What is going on in there? Open up immediately!" The woman yelled.

"Idiot!" Ritsuka said quietly to me, "I told you to be quiet. Hide!"

"But–" I started to say before Ritsuka hung the phone up.

He made me stand up and started to push me to the closet. He opened the door and pushed me inside. I turned to look at him and saw his face looked emotionless but his eyes showed he was scared.

"What's going on?" I asked quietly.

"I can't explain. But whatever you do don't come out of this closet no matter what you see! Promise me!" Ritsuka said urgently.

"Ritsuka what's-" I started.

"Promise me!" He urged.

"I promise…" I said shakily.

Ritsuka gave me a sad smile before he closed the closet door. I looked through the little slit in the door and watched as Ritsuka walked to the door to his room. No sooner than he had unlocked it, the door swung open, sending him stumbling back. A woman with long black hair came in.

She looked really pale and like something was possessing her. Her eyes scared me to the core. They were dark and filled with hatred and violent intent. Those eyes I had only seen on those controlled by the darkness.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Ritsuka asked calmly though I noticed his voice was shaky.

"Who's in here? What have you been doing?" The woman demanded as she slapped Ritsuka.

I wanted to run out, but I remembered my promise to Ritsuka and stayed in my spot. I began to tremble in fear.

"No one is here. I was just talking to the game…" Ritsuka said, attempting to lie.

"You're lying! RITSUKA WOULD NEVER LIE TO ME!" She yelled.

_What's she mean?_ I thought, confused and scared.

"I'm not lying, mother." Ritsuka tried to reason.

I bit back a gasp. She hit Ritsuka and slammed him against the desk. She was hysterical, and it looked like Ritsuka was doing everything in his power not to cry.

"YOU'RE LYING! YOU'RE NOT MY SON! YOU'RE NOT RITSUKA!" She screamed.

"Mother…" Ritsuka stuttered.

She began to hit him over and over all over his body. He tried to get away, but he never fought back. She slammed him into the bed and desk several times. I saw her throw some of his books at him as she continued to beat him.

"Mother stop!" Ritsuka urged.

"I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO SEIMEI!" She yelled at him.

"Seimei's dead!" Ritsuka said as he tried to escape some of the damage.

"NO, HE CAME BACK FOR ME! I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED WHEN HE TOLD ME TO KILL YOU!" She shouted.

"Seimei wouldn't say that!" Ritsuka tried to reason with her again.

"HE SAID THAT I HAD TO CHOOSE YOU OR HIM! HE SAID THAT HE WON'T COME HOME IF YOU'RE HERE!" She cried hysterically.

"Mother…" He said shakily.

I wanted to do nothing more but run out there and help Ritsuka, but I couldn't. I was silently crying as I watched my new friend go through all this pain.

"I SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD YOU!" The woman cried.

"Mother…" Ritsuka started.

"I shouldn't have had you…" She cried quietly as she began to calm down.

I watched as she fell to her knees and began to cry. I was shocked when Ritsuka wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. He then helped her up and took her out of the room. I waited in the closet for him to return, and I heard a door close down the hall. I looked up as Ritsuka reentered the room and closed the door. He walked over to the closet and opened the door for me.

I immediately hugged him as soon as the door opened up. I began to cry as I what had just happened continued to play over and over in my head. I felt Ritsuka stiffen, but then he returned the hug unsurely; I felt him start to shake as he let silent tears fall. I pulled away and sat him down. He directed me to a first aid box that was under his bed. As I bandaged his wounds, I thought of what happened.

"Tomorrow we'll go see Soubi and Riku." Ritsuka said.

"All right." I agreed as I continued thinking.

"You can stay here again for tonight, but you'll have to stay with Soubi starting tomorrow." Ritsuka said.

"All right, I'm sure Soubi won't mind having the two of us stay with him." I stated.

"The two of us?" Ritsuka asked confused.

"I'm not letting you return here. I won't leave you to face this torment." I stated coolly.

"This is my home, though." Ritsuka said.

"So? I'm not going to let this continue! Why do you let her do that to you?" I asked upset.

"She's my mother." Ritsuka answered plainly.

"A mother doesn't beat her child! The only person who'd beat an innocent child is someone who is heartless." I stated angrily.

"I deserve it, though!" Ritsuka said angrily.

"No child deserves being beaten!" I exclaimed.

"I do…" Ritsuka said quietly.

"…Why do you think you deserve to be beaten?" I asked confused.

"Because…I'm just an invader in this home. I'm just a failed copy of the original Ritsuka who I tried to be like for my mother's sake." Ritsuka said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I lost my memory two years ago…after that my personality changed…I became a new Ritsuka, and my mother couldn't handle that." Ritsuka stated.

"There is no new or old Ritsuka. There is only one Ritsuka." I stated.

"If I had never lost my memory none of this would have happened. She's right; she should have gotten rid of me. If I hadn't been born everything would have been perfect." Ritsuka muttered.

"Thinking about never being born is meaningless. You're living your own life. Experiences that only you know, feelings that only you feel…don't deny them. You're you." I said.

"Sora…" He said quietly as he leaned against me and cried quietly into my shoulder.

I held Ritsuka until he cried himself to sleep. When he did, I tucked him into the bed and smiled at him sadly. I then cleared a few things out of the closet and moved the sleeping bag into there just in case his mother came back in. I wrote him a note letting him know before going to bed. I cried myself to sleep as I thought of the pain Ritsuka felt.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

"Take me to Ritsuka's house _now_, Soubi!" I demanded.

"There's nothing you can do to help." He stated in that same, annoyingly calm tone.

"What do you mean there's nothing I can do!"

"If you were to go over there now, you'd only cause more trouble. It's best if you wait until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow! But–"

Before I had a chance to rebuttal, the door to Soubi's house opened and two boys who looked about 13 or 14 walked in.

"I beat you fair and square." The boy with dark magenta colored hair said. He wore a patch over his right eye, and the other eye was a light green.

"You only beat me because my controls were sticking." The other boy answered. His hair was longer than the other boy's, and was a greenish-blue color. His eyes were purple. Both of them had cat ears and tails.

"All right, let's go back tomorrow and play a different…" The boy with the patch over his eye let his sentence fade when he saw me.

The boy with longer hair looked at me, "Who're you?"

_Great_, I thought,_ more people._ I slumped back against the wall and slid to the floor. _Soubi can answer them for me. I'm tired of this._

"Hey!" Greenish-blue-hair called, "I'm talking to you."

"My name is Riku, okay?" I answered, glaring at Greenish-blue-hair.

"You're a Fighter." Eye-patch stated, "Where's your Sacrifice?"

_Here we go again_, "Look, I'll say this a million times if I have to. I don't know what you people mean by 'Fighter' and 'Sacrifice'. All I know is it doesn't sound like something I want to be."

"He _claims_ to have lost his memory." Soubi said, his eyes never leaving me. Their cold, suspicious stare sent chills down my spine. "He'll be staying with us tonight."

"Whatever." Greenish-blue-hair said, "As long as you're okay with it, Soubi."

I got tired of calling them 'Greenish-blue-hair' and 'Eye-patch' in my head. "You haven't told me your names." I looked at them.

"Youji." Greenish-blue-hair said.

"I'm Natsuo." Eye-patch said.

I looked at the floor and was silent. Whatever world Sora and I had fallen into, I didn't like it. I wanted to continue onto the world where Eyes was so badly. Mickey had said in his letter that he was in danger. The more time we wasted in this world, the more of a chance there was that Eyes could get hurt…or worse.

_'Not only that, but now Sora might be in trouble as well. He might have been hurt, and I wasn't there to protect him!'_ I sighed._ 'When is this nightmare going to end?' _I suddenly felt something sharp poke my side as I was sitting back against the wall. I reached inside my pocket and pulled out the good luck charm Kairi had made for us. _Even if we get separated, as long as we never forget each other we'll never be apart…_ Kairi had almost predicted the future when she had said that. I squeezed my hand around the charm, "Sora…"

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

The next morning I woke up the same time as Ritsuka did. I watched as he got ready for the school day. He covered most of his bruises with some cover-up, and the bigger bruises with bandages. After that he dressed in a long sleeved shirt and jeans to further cover his injuries.

Ritsuka left the room to eat breakfast, and returned not to long after that with food for me. As I finished eating, Ritsuka finished getting ready. I looked up as he went to the door.

"I'll be back after twelve. Stay out of the house till then." He ordered.

"All right." I agreed.

He nodded before leaving the room. I waited for the door to close before I ran to the closet. I grabbed out a bag and began stuffing Ritsuka's stuff into it. I also grabbed a few books and other things I thought Ritsuka would need. Once I was sure I got everything, I unlocked his bedroom door and headed to the window. Just as I opened it, I heard footsteps approaching the room. I bolted out the window, quickly closed it behind me, and jumped off the balcony railing.

I landed on my feet and took off running across the backyard. I climbed the fence into the house next door before continuing to the street. Once I was away from that house, I started to walk around town since I had time to kill. I passed a lot of restaurants and stores selling almost anything you could think of. I almost wished a Heartless would show up so I could beat some Munny out of it.

Eventually I found myself outside Ritsuka's school. It was close to the time the school would let out, so I sat on the ground, bored. I had just started to fall asleep when the bell rang.

I watched the crowds of students for Ritsuka, but didn't see him. As I sat down to wait, I heard a voice call to me.

"Sora!" A girl called running to me.

I looked up to see Yuiko, one of Ritsuka's friends running towards me. She had pink hair tied into pigtails right behind and slightly underneath her cat ears. Her tail was shorter then Ritsuka's and kind of like a dog's tail in appearance. She wore a long sleeved shirt that showed her stomach and low riding jeans. Heel sandals completed her attire as well as made her taller, though she was about the same height as me. The one thing that stuck out about Yuiko, a sixth grader of twelve years old, was her chest. This was bigger than most high school girls I had seen.

"Hi, Yuiko." I greeted.

"Waiting for Ritsuka?" She asked as she sat next to me.

"Yeah, he's taking me to Soubi's. My friend showed up and he's staying with Soubi right now." I explained.

"That's great!" Yuiko exclaimed happily.

"Where is Ritsuka?" I asked.

"Still inside. Shinonome Sensei wanted to talk to him." Yuiko stated.

"Oh…" I trailed off.

We sat together for a few minutes until we heard footsteps run up to us. Ritsuka stopped to catch his breath as we stood.

"Sorry." He said once he caught his breath.

"It's no problem." I replied with a smile.

"Aw, does that mean you have to leave? Yuiko… I mean I want to go, too!" Yuiko said.

"Yeah, sorry Yuiko, but you can't." I replied.

"It's okay, I know. I'll talk to you two later! Tell Soubi 'hi' for me! Bye Ritsuka-kun, bye Sora-kun." Yuiko said as she ran off.

"Bye, Yuiko!" I called after her.

We watched her run off before leaving ourselves. Ritsuka led me to a train station where we rode the train to the next station in silence. When we got off, Ritsuka still didn't talk as he led me through the area. He stopped in front of an apartment building.

It looked really run down from the outside, and the stairs leading up looked slightly unsafe. Other then that, the building looked like it was a nice place to live in. We headed up the stairs carefully, and Ritsuka led me to a door. He knocked on the door, and we waited for Soubi to answer. When he did we went inside the house quickly.

The house was bigger than I had thought. It had a kitchen and a dining area, along with a living room. Through one door was what I guessed was the bedroom, and through another was the bathroom. I looked over to the dining area when I hear someone clamber to their feet. I zoned everyone else out as I laid eyes on the silver-headed boy in front of me.

"Riku?" I asked hopefully.

"Sora!" He cried as he ran over to me.

"Riku!" I cried as he pulled me into his arms. "I looked everywhere for you!"

"Come on, Sora. You've got to pull it together." He said with a chuckle.

"Riku! I was really worried about you!" I snapped at him kiddingly.

"I know." He replied as he hugged me close.

I hugged him back and just closed my eyes as I relished in the feeling of being near Riku again. We had only been apart for a few days, but I missed him as if we had been apart for a year. What did that mean? Did it mean that I had feelings for…

My thoughts were interrupted by a weird burning sensation on my chest, and I opened my eyes. I pulled away from Riku and saw he looked slightly confused as well. I pulled my shirt up some to see something written on my chest. Riku did the same but pulled his shirt down to see. Written on both our chests right over our hearts was the word 'Innocence'.

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**Hey I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

**Hachi: Shiro-chan! I think I saw those flying monkeys again!**

**Shiro: **_Dang those flying monkeys eating tacos that land on the roof of our school and recite Shakespeare…I always miss them when they come!_

_Anyway, I know this chapter was long. I'm also very sorry about what we did to Ritsuka, but we gave him some hot chocolate and lots of love and he forgave us. ^-^ Anyone who knows the story of Loveless knows what the word on their chests mean, but for those who don't know (and for Sora and Riku) all that will be explained in a later chapter. Please keep reading and reviewing!  
_


	7. Bomb

**Shiro: **_Yeah, so our editor is spending her holidays in Florida and she has no internet access, so we're lacking an editor for now. Hopefully, we won't mess up too bad without her. Anyway, I know this is a yaoi story, but be patient. We'll get to that soon. This chapter is kind of short, but we had to split it because it would have been too long otherwise. Hachi wrote Ayumu's P.O.V. and I wrote the rest. Please enjoy! Oh, and due to time skips in the Spiral story, the time Sora and Riku are in the Loveless world is going to be less than the time Kairi is in the Spiral world. In some worlds, time moves faster than in other worlds._

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_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

It had been a few of days since I arrived in this world alone. Fai and Kurogane took me to a girl named Sakura's house; that's where I was to live until we returned home. Sakura was a cute girl who looked about my age. She had short light brown hair and emerald eyes; two strands of her hair stuck up from her head, making it look like she had antennas. Toya, her older brother, also lived with her. He had short dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was very protective of his sister and acted a little cold to me at first, but after Sakura and I got closer he warmed up to me.

I got enrolled in Sakura's school almost immediately after I arrived, thanks to Fai and Kurogane. Both of them are teachers there; Fai teaches Biology and Kurogane teaches History. Just on my first day I became friends with all of Sakura's friends. Syaoran, who had short brown hair and brown eyes, was Sakura's best friend, and the boy whom she had a crush on. There was also Watanuki, who had short black hair and gray eyes. He wore glasses and was always fun to be around. He even claimed to be able to see ghosts and spirits, and that whenever I was around they would all disappear. I didn't know whether he was telling the truth or if he was trying to hit on me, but I suspected the former.

I was surprised at how fast I was accepted into the school, without an entrance exam or anything of the sort, and had asked Fai how he did it. He said that the principle, Yuko, was expecting visitors from another world and pulled the right strings for me to get in. She would also do the same for Sora and Riku. I wasn't sure what the school had to do with Riku's brother, and when I tried to ask about him the others never gave me straight answers. I decided that I would play along and go to the school while I searched for clues on how to find Riku's brother.

_**Ayumu's P.O.V.**_

It had been a few days since the incident at the theater, and strange things kept happening. Mr. Imazato's murder still hadn't been solved. Currently, Hiyono was supposed to be working on finding his killer, but she had apparently taken a little detour from that to work on a new project. She was trying to find information on the new student.

I looked over at the annoying, light brown haired, pigtailed girl that sat at the computer. She growled at the computer angrily as she began to furiously type a new search into the computer. I sighed and turned back to the TV. When I noticed the program was off, I flipped through the cooking magazine I had brought as I heard Hiyono give yet another frustrated sigh.

"You know, we still need to find out who killed Mr. Imazato." I stated, bored.

"I'm working on it!" Hiyono snapped.

"Really? Doesn't seem like it." I stated plainly.

"I'm just taking a break!" She snapped again.

"What is the matter?" I asked in an uninterested tone.

"I want to know more about this Kairi girl, but I can't find _anything_ about her!" She answered, frustrated.

"Why don't you just interview her?" I asked.

"Interview her?" She asked slightly confused.

"Yeah. What, did the ace reporter not even think of that?" I teased.

"I was getting there! I'll go get her right now!" Hiyono stated loudly as she ran from the room.

I put the magazine away as I watched the program on TV. It didn't take long before I heard Hiyono's quick footsteps approaching the room. I didn't look up when the door slid open as two sets of footsteps entered.

"Ayumu, turn that off. We have an interview to do!" Hiyono said loudly.

"This has nothing to do with me, Hiyono. You were the one who wanted to interview her." I answered in a bored tone.

"But the interview was _your _idea!" She stated loudly.

I sighed and muted the TV, and turned my chair to them, "All right, you win."

The girl she dragged in had red hair and blue eyes. She wore the school uniform which in my opinion didn't seem like it suited her. She looked slightly confused about the whole situation but she seemed to take it in stride. She sat down in one of the chairs as Hiyono sat down in front of her.

_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

It was my third day at the school when I was dragged by a strange girl with light brown hair tied in two braids to the Journalism Club room for an "interview". She said that everyone was dying to find out more about the new student and it would only take a few minutes. I waved goodbye to Sakura and Syaoran as she dragged me away.

The Journalism Club room was a fairly small room with a table in the center surrounded by two or three chairs. There was a computer on a desk by the wall, and on the other side was a small TV. The TV was on and watching it was a boy who looked a year younger than Sora with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He didn't look up as the girl and I walked into the room.

"Ayumu, turn that off. We have an interview to do!" The girl put her hands on her hips and half-shouted at the boy. Or maybe she didn't shout; maybe she just had a naturally loud voice.

"This has nothing to do with me, Hiyono. You were the one who wanted to interview her." Ayumu answered in a bored tone.

"But the interview was _your _idea!"

Ayumu sighed and muted the TV. He turned his chair to us, "All right, you win."

I sat down in the chair across from the two other students. Hiyono had a notepad and a pen at the ready, "Okay, so what's you're full name? Birthday? Height? Weight? Favorite color? Shoe size? Bra size?"

"Excuse me?" I asked and raised my eyebrow. _Did she just say bra size?_

Ayumu rolled his eyes at Hiyono, "Let's start with you're name."

"Kairi Tsukiyomi."

"Why did you come to this school?" Ayumu took over asking the questions as Hiyono wrote down what I answered.

"Um…" I looked away from them and at the TV. I couldn't exactly say that I was from another world. Fai told me to keep that a secret. However, I wasn't very good at lying. I looked back at Ayumu and Hiyono, "I'm looking for someone."

"Someone who goes to this school?" Ayumu asked.

"I'm not sure…" I looked back at the TV and froze. On the screen was a commercial for, maybe a car, but I wasn't looking at the car. The person on the screen, dressed in all black with silver hair and blue eyes was what I was fixed on. He looked so much like Riku. _Could it be…?_

Ayumu turned to the TV to see what I was staring at and saw the boy on the screen just before the commercial ended. He turned back to me, "Are you a fan of Eyes Rutherford?"

"Eyes?" _That's Riku's brother's name! Could that boy be the one that Sora, Riku, and I came all this way to find?_

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the club room's door. Hiyono, Ayumu, and I all looked up at the door as it slid open. Standing in the doorway was a little girl with silver hair, more silver than Riku's hair, tied in pigtails with two orange ribbons and big gray eyes. Though, she was wearing the school's uniform so she couldn't have been that much younger than us, so I assumed she was just short for her age. She was holding a small stuffed kitten, "Um…hi, this is the Journalism Office, right?"

"Oh hey, it's you." Ayumu said. The two nodded at each other as a sort of bow.

Hiyono looked from the girl to Ayumu and back to the girl, "Is there something we can do for you?"

The girl stepped forward, "Well, um…you see I just found this stuffed animal downstairs in the school cafeteria." She pulled out a slip of paper, "It had this note stuck to its head.

I read the note quickly, it said:

**Take me to the Journalism Office**

Hiyono gasped and quickly stood up. Ayumu also stood up as soon as he read the note. I looked at them, confused as to why a little cat toy would be so surprising.

"Do you hear that? It sounds like ticking inside the little kitty." The girl looked at the cat curiously. This time I gasped. Ticking usually meant only one thing. Ayumu stepped forward and reached for the girl, I assumed to take the cat and throw it out the window. Hiyono and I were frozen.

The last thing I remembered was a loud explosion and a bright light. The cat was a bomb. I must have hit my head when I was knocked back by the explosion, because I woke up in the school's infirmary. Fai was standing over me with a smile on his face, "Ah, finally awake?"

I sat up slowly and rubbed my head, "Fai? Ow…" My head felt really bad.

"Relax. Don't try to move so fast. You hit your head pretty bad after that explosion."

"Explosion…?" I gasped, "Is that girl okay?"

"She's in the hospital now, but she will live."

"Good…" I looked down at the bed for a moment before I remembered the question I wanted to ask Ayumu before the explosion, "Who is Eyes Rutherford?" I asked Fai.

Fai sighed and stood up from the chair he was sitting in, "We wanted to wait until all three of you were here so we could tell you all at once, but it seems you're already too involved not to know."

"Tell us what? What am I involved in?"

He looked at me seriously, which was strange for him, "Kairi-san, do you know what the Blade Children are?"

"Blade Children?"

"I can't tell you all the details, but I can tell you that Eyes is one of them."

"He's Riku's brother, isn't he?"

Fai nodded, "Though, Riku is not one of them. You see, they are only half-brothers."

"Where can I find him?" I asked urgently.

"I'm not sure. If you want to know more, you should ask Ayumu-san and Hiyono-san. I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore about the Blade Children right now."

"I see…" I looked back down at my hands.

Fai was quiet for a moment, "Well, you seem healthy so you should head home. Sakura-chan is very worried about you."

"Right, thank you Fai." I smiled at him.

He smiled back and turned to the door.

_**Fai's P.O.V.**_

I closed the door to the infirmary behind me and saw Kurogane leaning against the wall across form me, "Hello, Kuro-rin."

"We're Watchers, Fai. We're not supposed to interfere." Kurogane said, getting right to the point as always.

"We're not supposed to interfere with the Blade Children or Ayumu-san, yes. However, no one said we can't help Kairi and her friends, now did they? Besides, we made a promise to the King."

"Tch, whatever. I just hope you know what you're doing."

I smiled at him, "Don't I always, Kuro-chi?"

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**Shiro:**_ Fai always knows more than he lets on . Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Kairi has now found herself caught up in the mystery of the Blade Children, and is one step closer to Eyes. One of the reasons I wanted to put these chapters with Kairi in is because in a lot of Sora x Riku fanfictions she's always made out to be really annoying, really stupid, or both. I personally kind of like Kairi, so in this story she's neither. Thanks for reading and please keep it up and keep reviewing. We live off of reviews._


	8. Fighters and Sacrifices

**Shiro:** _Hey, everyone. Here's the next chapter. It's a little short, but it's mostly about explaining anyway (thank you Loveless wikia). I hope you enjoy it. Again, I wrote Riku's P.O.V. and Hachi wrote Sora's P.O.V._

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_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

I could hardly sleep that night. I might have gotten three hours of sleep at most, but that's it. In the morning I took a shower and borrowed one of Soubi's shirts. It was a plain, long sleeved dark gray shirt. The arms were tight, showing my muscles, but the rest of the shirt was fairly loose due to the height difference between Soubi and me. I tied my hair back so I didn't really have to do anything with it. I almost missed having short hair that didn't get in my eyes all the time.

Natsuo and Youji woke up a few hours after I did. Soubi made us all breakfast and we sat in a somewhat awkward silence.

"Ritsuka is coming over here today after he finishes school." Soubi finally said to break the silence.

"With Sora?" I asked.

He nodded.

"When does school let out?"

"Since today is Saturday, 12:30." Soubi answered.

The rest of the morning went by slowly. Natsuo and Youji were caught up in their own discussions and I watched TV, though I wasn't really paying attention to what was on. Soubi kept looking at me as if he thought I was someone else in disguise or something. He'd looked suspicious of me since I talked with Sora on the phone. I didn't think he believed that I had amnesia.

At about 11:30 Kio came by with lunch enough for all of us. We sat at the small table in the dinning area. Kio did a lot of the talking. After a while I tuned everyone out until I heard a knock at the door. I started to get up, but Soubi motioned for me to stay put.

I watched Soubi walk to the front door and open it. I saw a boy with black hair and ears walk inside. His tail was long and slender. I held my breath as I watched the brunette with spiky hair I had been waiting for walk in behind him. He looked around Soubi's place, taking in everything. I clamored to my feet, drawing Sora's gaze to me. Our eyes met and everyone else melted away.

"Riku?" Sora asked hopefully.

"Sora!" I ran over to him.

"Riku!" He said as I pulled him into my arms, "I looked everywhere for you!"

"Come on, Sora. You've got to pull it together." I said with a chuckle.

"Riku! I was really worried about you!"

"I know." I replied as I held him close. Sora hugged me back. I closed my eyes and smiled. Sora was here, in my arms. Right where he should be.

Suddenly I felt a strange burning sensation on my chest, causing me to open my eyes. Sora pulled away from me, and I could tell by the look on his face that he was having the same feeling as I did. He pulled his shirt up and I saw something written on his chest. I pulled my collar down and saw that I had the same thing written on mine where I felt the burning. 'Innocence' was written just above our hearts.

"What's this?" I asked to no one and everyone. I was sure that hadn't been there this morning.

"I knew it." I heard Natsuo say.

"What does this mean?" I asked, fixing my shirt.

"You mean you don't know?" Youji asked, "Maybe you really _do_ have amnesia."

"That is your name." Soubi said in his usual tone.

Sora looked at him, "Name? What do you mean by that?"

"Fighters and Sacrifices." Soubi said, "They are united by their names, which are given to them beyond their control, possibly before birth. Fighters are the offensive acting side during battles. Their Sacrifice counter-parts do not participate in the actual attacking, but instead take damage for the Fighter and lead their Fighter's movements from the side-lines. Riku, you are the Fighter. Sora is your Sacrifice."

"Wait a minute." I said, "I don't understand."

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

"Do you two know how powerful words are?" Youji asked.

"Words? How do you mean?" I asked.

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'Words are power'?" Ritsuka asked.

"Well yeah." I said as I thought of the phrase.

"Well in battles the Fighter uses words to attack." Youji explained.

"Uses words?" Riku asked.

"Basically if you say the word 'Rip' a slash will come at the opposing Fighter unit like a cut." Natsuo stated.

"Still not getting it…" I said confused.

"Basically when you attack you say words that will hurt 'Rip', 'Tear', 'Cut', 'Burn'." Soubi said.

"To defend you say stuff like 'Shield'." Youji said.

"When you are not able to defend and you get hit the Fighter never receives damage." Youji added.

"The Sacrifice is the one who receives all the damage in a battle." Natsuo explained.

"Why?" I asked.

"They just do." Ritsuka stated.

"When a Sacrifice receives damage, they will be bound." Soubi explained.

"Bound?" Riku asked.

"Do you know what bondage is?" Natsuo asked.

"Yeah…." Riku said with a look of confusion.

"Basically the Sacrifice that is hit is put into bondage. When they are completely bound..." Natsuo answered.

"Then the Unit is defeated." Youji added.

"That sounds so wrong!" Riku shouted.

"It's what happens." Youji stated calmly.

"But it's not fair for the Sacrifice to take all the damage!" Riku argued.

"Then you best not let any attacks get through." Soubi stated coolly.

"Why you…" Riku started as he glared at Soubi.

"Riku…" I said worriedly.

"Look, being a Fighter Unit isn't all fun and games." Youji stated.

"Either you fight and win, or you lose." Natsuo added.

"Once a battle starts, there is no escaping." Soubi added.

"Better learn to fight, unless you want your Sacrifice hurt." Natsuo teased.

I grabbed Riku's sleeve to hold him back and looked at him worried. He looked at me and gave me a small reassuring smile, but that didn't help me as I began to grow afraid. Afraid of the world we fell into and afraid of what was to come.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

"I think it's about time you explained yourselves." Soubi said.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka said in protest.

I looked at Soubi, afraid of what he was going to ask, "What do you mean?"

"You said you woke up in 'this world'. That would imply that you are not from 'this world'."

Sora looked at me, "Way to go, Riku."

I looked at him, "I guess we have to tell them."

He nodded.

"Tell us what?" Ritsuka asked.

I looked at all the people in front of me, "Sora and I…we're not from this world."

"What? So, you're like…Aliens?" Youji asked.

"Not exactly." Sora said. "We're not from another planet, we're from another _world_. Another universe almost."

"Wait, if that's true then how did you get here?" Natsuo asked.

"That's a long story." I said.

"We have time." Soubi said.

Everyone sat down in the living room. Sora and I were sitting across from everyone else.

Sora started, "Our world is called Destiny Islands. In our world, people aren't born with cat ears."

Ritsuka looked at him confused, "They're not?"

He shook his head, "That's why I was confused when I woke up."

"We left our world to search for my older brother. He disappeared when we were kids, and now we finally have a lead to where he is." I said.

"Is he here?" Youji asked.

"No. We fell out of the ship taking us to the world he is on and wound up here." I said.

"If all this is true," Soubi started, "Then why are you a Fighter and Sacrifice?"

"I wish I knew." I said.

Sora looked at me, "Maybe the Keyblade had something to do with it."

I looked at him, "You think?"

"What's a 'Keyblade'?" Ritsuka asked.

Sora held out his hand. There was a flash and he was holding the Kingdom Key. My guess was that all of his other Keychains were still on the Gummi Ship.

"Whoa!" was the response from most of the people in the room, except Soubi.

"The Keyblade is the reason Riku and I change forms to fit the worlds we enter, I think." He put his hand down, still holding it. "It has some strange powers sometimes, so I think it somehow gave us the powers of a Fighter and…Sacrifice."

"Wait a minute." Youji said, "Then how do you expect to get to the world your brother is on?"

"That…we don't know." I said sadly.

"You're going to leave?" Ritsuka asked Sora. His ears drooped slightly.

Sora looked down. I guessed he hadn't thought of that before. He must have become friends with Ritsuka while he was with him.

"Not yet." I said, and Sora looked at me.

"Then, before you leave." Ritsuka reached into his back and pulled out a camera, "Let's make some memories." He smiled at Sora.

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**Shiro: **_I hope you liked it. Please review and keep reading!_


	9. Strychnine

**Shiro:** _Now, this chapter was written by me. I had to split the original chapter in two, because it was twice as long as this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. We're going to jump between Sora and Riku and Kairi for a little while. And again, time moves differently in the Spiral world than it does in the Loveless world.  
_

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_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

Over the next few of days I spent more time with Ayumu and Hiyono and less time with Sakura and her friends. I confronted them about the Blade Children, and more specifically about Eyes. Eventually I convinced them to tell me everything they knew about the Blade Children, which wasn't very much. Apparently, the Blade Children were connected somehow to Ayumu's missing older brother and recent murders that had been taking place at the school. They said that the girl who had the stuffed cat was one of them; her name was Rio. She had used that bomb in order to hide the fact that she was missing a rib, which is one of the indicators that she was a Blade Child. They also said that they didn't know how to get in touch with Eyes, but Rio might know.

I told them what I could about myself. I told them that I was looking for my friend's older brother, Eyes. I also told them that Sora, Riku, and I got separated on our way here, and that was why I was alone. They believed me, so I never really had to lie.

I didn't like what I was getting into, but I had to ask Rio about Eyes. Something was troubling me about him. If he was one of the Blade Children like Rio, did that mean that he was also a murderer? I didn't want to believe that the brother that Riku had been searching for since he had disappeared could be a killer. How would Riku feel?

Three weeks after the bombing, I went with Hiyono and Ayumu to the hospital to visit Rio. Hiyono had brought flowers for her, though I wasn't sure why.

"Thank you so much. You're too kind!" Rio said in an innocent voice when she showed her the flowers.

"Well, we weren't entirely uninvolved." Ayumu said coolly, "You seem to be doing a lot better though."

"Yeah, the doctor says I'll be out soon." She answered as Hiyono set the flowers on the table. I noticed that after she did, her hand slipped into her pocket for a second and I thought I heard a click. I dismissed it.

"That's good." I said. In truth, I was happy that she was going to be all right. I still had trouble thinking of this cute little girl as a murderer.

Rio looked at me curiously, "You're the new transfer student, aren't you?"

"Yeah, my name's Kairi. Nice to meet you."

She smiled at me, "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Too bad that stuffed animal was a failure." Ayumu said.

"What?" Rio said innocently.

Ayumu started to walk to the window, "We tracked down the store you bought it from. I'm sure you assumed the stuffed animal would be obliterated in the explosion, so it would be impossible for us to find out where it came from." He looked at Rio, "So you were either careless or lazy and bought it at a store near the school. I found plenty of them on the shelves." He paused to let his words sink in, "You failed, Rio. The store clerk even remembers you buying the stuffed animal the day before the incident."

Rio put a finger to her chin in confusion, "Um…what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. The store's security camera captured the entire transaction." Ayumu said.

"You see, Rio," Hiyono said as Rio turned to her, "my information network reaches well beyond the school grounds. Sorry, you didn't stand a chance."

Rio turned back to Ayumu with a surprised look on her face. Ayumu just stared back at her coolly. I hadn't said anything because I was a terrible liar, and half of this was a lie. After Ayumu and Hiyono told me about the Blade Children, they let me help with the investigation concerning the bombing. We did find the store, but in truth the clerk only thought he remembered seeing Rio at the store. And there was no security camera. All of this was a ploy to get Rio to come clean. From the look on her face, I guessed she fell for it.

"I know you're one of the Blade Children." Ayumu's eyes narrowed, "You won't get away."

Rio stared at him in disbelief for another moment, and then looked at me. "They told me everything. I know what you are." I said.

She looked back at Ayumu and her expression changed to a smirk, "I should have expected this from Kiyotaka's younger brother. But I am impressed you discovered I'm one of the Blade Children." She paused, "However, if we keep butting our heads like this, as equally matched opponents, I don't think we'll ever see this thing through to the end." She turned her head slightly, "Okay, Kousuke!"

Hiyono, Ayumu, and I turned around as a boy with bright red hair spiked like Sora's stepped out from the other side of a wall in the room. He was wearing a green jacket and yellow rectangular glasses. Hiyono gasped. He held up his hand and winked, "Yo! Long time no see!"

"Asazuki?" Ayumu said, surprised.

"Who's he?" I asked Ayumu.

"He's another one of the Blade Children. We've crossed paths before." He answered me.

Kousuke pushed a cart over to the bed, "This is one messed up situation…" He said as he stopped the cart next to Rio's bed. On the cart were two glasses of water with stirring sticks in them. "You sure you want to go through with it?" He asked Rio.

"I've always known that it would come down to something like this." Rio answered him, and then turned to Ayumu, "And besides, if I can't make it through this, how can I ever hope to beat fate?"

_Beat fate?_ I thought. _That's a strange thing to say. What kind of fate is she trying to beat?_ I looked at Ayumu. He was staring at her with a rather surprised look on his face.

"So, Little Brother, the time has now come to begin our final game," Ayumu's changed from surprise to a glare as she kept talking, "and put an end to this."

Kousuke sat down in the couch on the other side of the room while Ayumu moved to stand in front of Rio and the cart. Hiyono and I stood behind Ayumu.

"The game is simple. It will settle things once and for all." Rio held up two small packets, "One packet is plain old sugar, and the other is strychnine."

Ayumu gasped. _Strychnine? What's strychnine?_

"A poison," Kousuke said as if to answer my silent question. "It kills you by causing respiratory paralysis and circulatory collapse." As Kousuke explained what the poison was, Rio poured one of the packets into each glass of water. "It's extremely bitter. Sensitive tongues can still taste it, even when it's 400,000 times more diluted than this."

Rio stirred the water with the sticks in the glass, "This is about two times the lethal dose, only I don't know which is which. The packets are exactly the same." When she was finished stirring she took the sticks out and smiled at us sweetly.

I stared at her with my mouth slightly open. I had never met anyone who could talk about death so easily, even smile about it. Her attitude sent a shiver down my spine. Ayumu and Hiyono warned me about the Blade Children, but this was just plain scary. Was Riku's brother the same?

"When I say, we'll each choose a glass and drink the entire contents." Rio was still smiling, "Choose the poison and you can say your final goodbyes. We share the same risk. Which one of us will death drag away? Can you guess?"

Ayumu was also staring at Rio in disbelief.

"I'll even let you go first!" Rio said. "Go ahead, pick one! I don't mind getting leftovers." She gestured quickly to the cups, and then put her hand back down, "That way, it won't matter even if I _do_ know which one has the poison."

"Now hold on," I said, "This is crazy. One of you will die if you do this!

"That's kind of the point." Rio said matter-of-factly.

Ayumu closed his eyes, "What kind of an idiot would play this stupid game?" He opened them and looked at Rio, "It doesn't matter what happens between us, the law will still judge you!"

"Can it really, though?" Rio rested her head on her hand, "I have a feeling that this proof you claim to have is nothing more than a bluff."

Hiyono and I gasped.

"Did I guess right?"

Ayumu closed his eyes again, "Why do you insist on this elaborate game? If you want me dead, there are much easier ways to do it."

"Ayumu?" I said in disbelief.

"You're correct." Rio ignored me and turned her head away from Ayumu, "We could kill you easily if we wanted to." She looked back up at Ayumu, "But something prevents me from doing so." She looked at him seriously, "A promise made to Kiyotaka."

Ayumu gasped. From what he told me before, I knew that Kiyotaka was the name of his older brother. He had been missing for two years, leaving only a message that said, "I will pursue the mystery of the Blade Children". It seemed that the Blade Children _did _have something to do with his older brother, but what? My head hurt trying to figure everything out.

Rio smirked at Ayumu, "What's wrong Ayumu?"

Ayumu didn't answer her. He only stared at the cups of water intently. Hiyono looked at Ayumu curiously.

Rio laughed and put her hands together, "And just so you know I haven't done anything like poison both glasses, like a coward." She held her hands apart, "I mean, where would the challenge be if we both die?"

"Why should I believe a word you say?" Ayumu asked in a serious tone.

"Well, if you like, I'll pick one and I'll drink it first." She smiled, "If it kills me, then you win the challenge. If it doesn't kill me you can do whatever you want." Her sweet smile turned back into a smirk, "You don't even have to drink the other glass if you don't want to." She turned her head slightly while still looking at Ayumu, "But, if you're the type who runs away then you certainly have nothing to lose."

"But poison myself on purpose? Only a fool wouldn't run away."

"I'm not afraid to drink it. There's no absolute guarantee that I'm going to die."

Ayumu stepped forward and raised his voice, "You're talking about twice the lethal dose of strychnine. The chance of survival is virtually zero! You'd die instantly!"

"You're right about that. But to run away from my challenge, isn't that really the same as death?"

I knew then that this girl was crazy. _It's always better to run to fight again another day than to give your life away to some messed up game._

Ayumu didn't answer her. She looked down and closed her eyes, "A terrible fate awaits you and will simply snatch away that which you desire and all you hold dear, as it slays your spirit and mind." Her eyes snapped open, "Yes, you understand. Kiyotaka took everything from you, and now you only live with your head down."

For some reason, as Rio was describing Ayumu's situation I thought of Riku. Both he and Ayumu had lost their older brothers, and both wanted them to come home. Though, something told me that Ayumu and Riku felt differently about their brothers.

"I won't run away." Rio continued. "I will always go forward to protect what I hold dear and to change my fate," she put her bandaged hand over her heart, "even if that involves risking my own life to win."

I was surprised at her last words. She had said the word "fate" again. Was something bad supposed to happen to the Blade Children? Was the only way to escape that "fate" to murder and test Ayumu like this? I didn't understand.

"Do you see? If you can't overcome this little game, then your fate will undoubtedly still kill you eventually." Rio said.

_Oh, I get it now_. I thought. _Somewhat, at least. The Blade Children's fate must involve their deaths sooner than they're supposed to. That's why Rio is so unafraid of dying right now. Of course, I could totally be wrong on this, but I'll stick with that theory so I can make sense of this situation._

"Fate means nothing to me." Ayumu stated. "But it seems I have no other choice than to settle this here and now." He picked up the glass of water on the right, "I will accept your challenge, Rio."

"Ayumu…" I tried nothing to stop him, mostly because I had no idea what to do.

Rio took the other glass, "Your strategies and tactics won't be of any use now, Little Brother. What you do need is the ability to believe in yourself. Your conviction that you won't lose will be the deciding factor in this game."

_Wait a minute…_ I thought. _Believing in himself won't do a thing if the glass he picked was the poisoned one. The only way believing in himself would be a deciding factor would be if neither glass was poisoned! Then, is this all a test to see how much confidence Ayumu has in himself?_

"Well, let's begin." Rio said, and moved her glass to her lips.

* * *

**Shiro:** _I hope you enjoyed it. Man, Spiral characters talk a lot. I hope it wasn't too boring. Please review and keep reading! Oh, and thank you mochiusagi for your reviews. ^-^ We really appreciate it. They keep us motivated and keep us writing!_


	10. Memories

**Shiro:** _So, here's chapter 10. Sorry it took a while to get up. We've changed the story from a crossover to a regular in hopes we'll get more readers. I hope I did okay writing the fight scenes. Also, if you've missed any of the previous chapters please go back and read them now. I still think it's weird that a later chapter has more views than a previous chapter. It doesn't make sense. I wrote Riku's P.O.V. and Hachi wrote the rest. Hope you enjoy it!_

_**

* * *

Sora's P.O.V.**_

I looked around the park that Ritsuka had dragged us too. It had several trees spread out all over; some were in clumps to provide shade. There was one part of the park that had a lot of brightly colored flowers spread over it. Ritsuka pulled out a camera and handed it to Soubi. He then grabbed my arm and pulled me along with him.

He latched onto my arm so we stood close together as Soubi got ready to take the picture. I smiled as the picture was taken and glanced over at Riku. He didn't seem too happy with Ritsuka attaching himself to me, but he also seemed happy at the same time. I noticed as Ritsuka dragged me off somewhere else that Kio began to talk to Riku about something. Natsuo and Youji also got into the next picture with us.

I took a few pictures of Ritsuka and the others but most of the pictures were of Ritsuka and me. After a while of taking the pictures we sat down at a group of tables. Ritsuka was looking through his camera with a smile and I couldn't help smiling as I watched him. I wonder if this is what it's like to have a little brother.

"Why don't we talk some? Won't that make memories even better?" I asked.

"It has to be pictures. If we talk about things we won't always remember them." Ritsuka answered with a sad look.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean pictures last forever but if we just talk we might forget. I don't want to forget anything." Ritsuka answered.

"I guess that's true. But you know you never really forget your memories." I said.

"What do you mean?" Ritsuka asked.

"A while ago something strange happened. I don't know what but I apparently fell asleep for a long time. How it happened I don't know. I only remember traveling with my friends through a country side then waking up in a mansion a year later." I said.

"Weird. But you never gained those memories back." Ritsuka stated.

"No I didn't but that's okay. Because I know that if I did in fact need those memories I would have them." I said.

"So you're saying we only forget things we don't need?" Ritsuka asked.

"Yeah." I said.

We sat there quietly as Ritsuka continued to look through the pictures.

"How do you know though?" Ritsuka asked.

"Riku told me that the reason I fell into a deep sleep for a year was because I lost my memories." I started.

"What happened?" Ritsuka asked.

"I apparently went into a castle, and as I traveled through it someone rearranged my memories." I finished.

"How?" Ritsuka asked.

"I don't know. I just know she had the ability to do it, but later on she pieced together my chain of memories." I said.

"That doesn't help." Ritsuka stated.

"I remember a time when I was a kid. I had a dream… it was strange… all I remember was I was in my heart…" I started.

"Your heart?" Ritsuka asked.

"Keyblade wielders have access to their hearts. 'Dive to the Heart', a friend called it." I explained.

"Okay?" Ritsuka asked confused.

"Anyway, I was talking to someone… or to someone's heart… and the only thing I can remember was the voice. Though I can't remember what was said or what happened, I remember that it was something important. I know I'll remember in time." I finished.

"So you're saying we'll remember when it's time?" Ritsuka asked.

"Yep." I said with a smile.

We stared at each other for a few before Ritsuka looked away sadly.

"What about when you leave? You might forget me." He said.

"I could never forget you." I replied.

"You might especially if we never see each other again." Ritsuka argued.

"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." I said with a smile.

"What's that mean?" Ritsuka asked.

"What our mind remembers might not last forever, but what our heart remembers does. So even if we never meet again I'll remember you always in my heart." I answered.

"Do you think it's the same for me?" Ritsuka asked.

"Yes I do. All the memories that you've lost, Ritsuka, are still somewhere deep within your heart. You may not be able to recall them right away, but they're still there." I replied.

"So, we might never see each other again once you leave?" Ritsuka asked sadly.

"Even though we'll be leaving, our worlds are all connected; which means we are free to come and go, so don't be sad and always know we'll come back soon to say hello!" I said with a laugh.

"What was that? That was really cheesy." Ritsuka said with a laugh.

"Well it's a slight variation of something I told a friend when we left her world. Of course my friends and I sang it not said it at that time." I said as I laughed again.

"So, you'll promise to visit?" Ritsuka asked.

"I've visited many of my friends multiple times, so you should be no different." I answered.

"It's a promise then?" Ritsuka asked hopefully.

"It's a promise." I replied holding my pinky out.

Ritsuka looked at it before smiling and hooking his pinky with mine. We both laughed at this as we shook pinkies.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

I watched Sora and Ritsuka take pictures together and couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Ritsuka attached himself to Sora; he practically never let him go. I realized soon that that was how I was with Eyes back on the islands, and it made me smile. Sora would make a good big brother to Ritsuka.

It was while they were taking pictures that I also finally noticed the outfit that Sora was wearing. He was wearing a black tank top that showed his stomach and a black sweatshirt over it that covered only a little more than the shirt. His pants reached to his ankles and was…very…tight. The clothes must have been Ritsuka's, because they looked far too small on Sora. I blushed when I realized I couldn't take my eyes off of Sora's…tight…pants.

Kio walked up beside me and watched Sora and Ritsuka, "Sora's pretty cute, isn't he?"

"Yeah…" I said without thinking, but then I realized who I was talking to, "Wait! I, uh… I mean…"

Kio looked at me, "You don't have to hide it. I can tell you like him."

I looked away from him, "…Am I that obvious?"

"More obvious than if you walked into school without your ears."

I lifted my hand and felt my cat ears, "Then I'm glad Sora's dense."

Kio chuckled slightly, "Speaking of which, why haven't you told him yet?"

"We've known each other for as long as I can remember. I don't want to ruin our friendship if he doesn't feel the same."

"I don't think you have to worry about that." Kio said.

I looked at him, "You think?"

He smiled at me, "Go for it. You'll never forgive yourself if you don't confess your feelings to Sora; because if you don't, then someone else will."

I immediately thought of Kairi. "You're right. I need to tell him."

All of us sat down at a group of tables. Sora and Ritsuka talked while I thought of how to tell Sora my feelings. I looked at them in time to see them making a pinky promise about something. I smiled. Only Sora would still do that at our age.

"Hey, Sora. Can we talk?"

Sora looked at me, "Huh? Oh, sure." He looked back at Ritsuka who shrugged in understanding. I could feel Soubi's gaze as Sora and I walked out of view and earshot of the group.

"What did you want to talk about, Riku?"

I took a deep breath and turned away from him, "Sora…"

"What is it?" Sora walked around me to stand in front of me.

"You remember…in the cave…before we left?"

I saw him blush slightly, "Y-yeah."

"The truth is, Sora…I…I wasn't just messing with you then."

"Then…you…?" He looked up at me with his big blue eyes.

"Yes." I slowly moved my hand toward him and touched his cheek, "I…I really like you, Sora. More than just a friend. Much more."

He blushed even more at my touch, "Riku, I…"

"Shh…" I leaned in slowly; my heart was racing. Sora closed his eyes. "You have no idea how much I've wanted this, Sora." I whispered before I gently kissed his lips. My stomach flipped. After a few seconds I pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Well?" I asked.

"That was my first kiss…" He said.

"Mine, too." I replied. "How did it feel? Or rather, how do you feel about me, Sora?"

He suddenly hugged me tight, "I'm not sure what I'm feeling, but…it didn't feel wrong."

I wrapped my arms around him, "That's good." I held him close to me, "Because from now on, I'm going to be doing that more and more."

"I'd like that." Sora whispered as he held me.

I smiled. Sora was finally mine.

"Ahh!" I heard a scream from behind me and the sound of someone falling. Sora and I pulled away and whirled around. Natsuo and Youji were on the ground; they had been spying on us.

Sora blushed and looked away from them.

"You two just can't stay out of other people's business, huh?" I said.

"We were bored." Natsuo said, "And you two are more interesting than anyone else here. Besides," he held up Ritsuka's camera, "we got some great pictures."

Sora blushed even more, "Y-you were taking pictures of us?"

"Hey, it's rude to take pictures of people without their permission!" I said. "Give me the camera." I reached for it, but Natsuo pulled it away before I could grab it.

"You want the camera?" Youji asked. "Then you'll have to fight us."

"What?" Sora and I asked at the same time.

"Fight us, Innocence." Natsuo said. "You're going to have to fight eventually, so it's best if you start with someone who will hold back."

"You mean…fight your way?" Sora asked. "As a Fighter and Sacrifice?"

They both nodded.

"No!" I stepped in front of Sora. "I won't let Sora take pain meant for me!"

"You don't trust that Sora can handle himself?" Natsuo asked.

"I-"

Sora held his hand out in front of me. "It's okay, Riku. They're right; we're going to have to learn how to fight in this world. I don't know how long we're going to stay here, but we were made Fighter and Sacrifice for a reason." He looked into my eyes.

I looked deep into his ocean blue eyes. "All right." I looked at Natsuo and Youji. "We'll fight."

Natsuo smiled. "I declare battle by Wordspell."

"Now Riku says 'I accept'." Youji added.

"I accept." I said. Suddenly everything around the four of us went black, even the ground we stood on. I could see the others perfectly, so it wasn't that it was dark; it was just black. I felt Sora take my hand, which I squeezed back.

"Here's how this works." Youji started. "Natsuo and Riku will attack with words like 'rip' and 'cut'. The other Fighter can use words like 'deflect' and 'defend' to protect their Sacrifice from receiving damage. If not… well, you'll see."

"Fighter systems engage." Natsuo said.

"You can make the first move." Youji said.

I looked at Sora; he nodded. I turned back to our opponents. "_Rip_! _Tear_!" Two blades of light shot at Natsuo and Youji.

"_Deflect_." Natsuo said calmly. A barrier appeared around the two opposite of us, causing the blades of light to bounce back to Sora and I. I instinctively raised my hands in front of my face to block the attack. It shot past me and went directly to Sora. I spun around to see a restraint form around Sora's hand.

Sora yelled and clasped his wrist. I reached for him, but he shook his head. "I'm fine Riku; focus on the battle."

"He's right, Riku." Youji said. "If this was a real battle, that hesitation would have cost you the match."

I turned back to Natsuo and Youji. I debated whether or not it would be better to fight on and win, or give up and end the battle, and Sora's pain, quickly.

"Our turn." Natsuo said. "_Restrict_."

Another wave of light came toward us. I started to say something, but my mind went blank and I panicked. Before I could react, I heard Sora yell behind me. I turned to him to see that a restraint was put around Sora's neck. "Dammit." I muttered.

"You'll have to be quicker than that, pretty boy." Youji said.

I turned away from Sora; I couldn't watch him in pain for a moment longer. "Riku, I have an idea." I heard Sora say weakly behind me.

I turned back to him. "An idea?"

"Yeah. Think of this like using magic. Think of the spells you learned or your dark powers!"

"My dark powers?" I suddenly knew what he meant. I turned back to our opponents, "I get it. I'll just say the name of the attack, and it will happen. Like… _Dark Aura_!" I held my hand out in front of me and felt the familiar feeling of darkness flowing through my fingers. Only now, it felt as if it were merely an echo of the darkness I once controlled. Not moments after I said the attack did the all-too-familiar dark fire shoot from my hand toward Natsuo and Youji. Natsuo appeared to be caught off guard by the attack and hesitated before attempting to counter. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough and the dark fire engulfed Youji. When the fire cleared, there were two restraints around his wrists. He made no indication that he was in any pain, but instead he looked just as surprised as Natsuo.

Soon both boys regained their composure. "Not bad." Youji said. "I've never seen an attack like that. This might actually be interesting."

"That was great, Riku!" Sora said.

"It's not over yet." I replied.

"Correct." Natsuo said. "This fight is not over. Not yet. I think it's time to step it up a notch." He raised his hand in front of him, "_Bind_. _Restrict their movement_." Red blades of light stretched from his fingers and snaked their way to Sora and me.

This time I was ready. Without hesitating I held my hands up and shouted, "_Dark Shield_!" a barrier appeared in front of Sora and me. The red blades hit the barrier at full force and threatened to break it. It didn't take long for the shield to crack. _Dammit_, I thought.

"_Your defense is useless_." Natsuo's eyes narrowed.

Just as he said those words, my barrier shattered and the red blades circled around Sora and tightened themselves around Sora's upper body, making him unable to move his arms. He bit his lip to keep from screaming. I could see a small tear fall down his face. I glared at Natsuo. "You'll pay for that! _Burn in hell_!" Instantly, the area around us caught fire. The flames danced around Natsuo and Youji, threatening to burn them alive.

Youji crossed his arms and smirked, "Ooh, someone's a little mad."

Natsuo also smirked. Neither of them seemed to be effected by the heat of the flames. "_Shatter the bond of innocence_."

I heard Sora scream behind me. I whirled around and saw that the red blades that had wrapped around Sora broke into several shards, each cutting Sora's arms as they flew away. His eyes rolled back and he began to fall forward. I caught him in my arms as he fell and held him close to me. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing back my own tears. Seeing Sora hurt like this… it was too much.

"This fight is over." I heard Natsuo say.

I opened my eyes and turned to them. The area around us had returned to normal, as if the battle had never taken place. I heard Sora give a small groan and turned my attention back to him. "Sora?"

He opened his eyes and looked at me, "Riku…? Is it over?"

"Yeah…" I held him as close as I could, "It's over."

I felt his arms wrap around me, "Good…"

"What's going on over here?" I heard Ritsuka ask urgently. All of us turned to see Ritsuka and Soubi approaching us. Ritsuka looked angry.

_**Ritsuka's P.O.V.**_

I watched as Sora was led away by Riku and noticed that Soubi watched them also. I knew from the look on his face that he didn't trust them fully, which made me a bit sad. Even though I understood why Soubi didn't trust them, I had the feeling that they were keeping something hidden besides what they told us. Soubi noticed it also, but I think he feels it is threatening while I think Sora hides it to protect us.

I kept looking through the camera as Soubi and Kio sat at the same table as me. Soubi kept watching were Riku and Sora had disappeared to while Kio was talking to me about things. I felt a weird sensation come over me and felt Soubi stiffen. Before I could react Soubi had stood up hurriedly and was looking around.

"What's wrong?" I asked confused.

"Where are Natsuo and Youji?" He asked Kio.

"They went off shortly after Sora and Riku. Why?" Kio asked.

"Soubi?" I asked as I saw his expression harden.

"A battle has started." Soubi stated.

"A battle?" I asked confused and worried.

"Yes." Soubi answered as he began to stride away in the direction Riku and Sora went.

As we approached a clearing I felt the sensation fade away. In the clearing stood Natsuo and Youji on one side of the clearing and Sora and Riku on the other. My eyes widened as I saw Sora leaning heavily on Riku. He looked like he was injured badly or just exhausted.

"What's going on over here?" I asked angrily as we approached them.

"Nothing." Natsuo answered.

"Natsuo… Youji…" Soubi said.

"We challenged them to a fight." Youji answered.

"No big deal." Natsuo added.

"Sora, are you okay?" I asked worriedly as I ran over to him and Riku.

"I'm fine… just tired." Sora said as he gave me a small smile.

"The battle was tougher than we thought." Riku muttered as he held Sora.

"We should return to the house." Soubi stated calmly, but I heard anger in his voice.

"Right, Sora needs to rest." I replied.

"Do you need help?" Soubi asked Riku.

"No, I got him." Riku said as he picked Sora up princess style.

We all headed back to where we left Kio before heading back to Soubi's house. After we arrived home, Soubi and Kio set up beds for everyone. Riku put Sora on one of the beds and sat next to him. Natsuo and Youji set up a bed in the corner and I decided to share Soubi's bed. Once the beds were set up Soubi started on dinner as Natsuo and Youji began playing games. I sat with Riku next to the bed and started doing my homework.

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**Shiro: **_This is the end of chapter 10. Sora and Riku only have a little longer in the Loveless world, so don't worry. They'll get to the Spiral world soon. In the meantime we'll follow Kairi's adventures for a little while. I hope you liked this chapter and keep reading and reviewing!_


	11. Believe in Yourself

**Shiro:**_ This is the second half of what Hachi and I call the "poison chapter". Spiral characters talk too much if you ask me. Please enjoy the chapter. Hachi wrote Kousuke's P.O.V. and I wrote the rest._

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_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

"Wait!" Ayumu said.

Rio moved the glass away from her lips.

"Do you think this little charade of yours is going to fool me? The ability to decipher strategy is what'll decide the outcome of your game. Not the ability to believe, or whatever." He paused and closed his eyes. "You really are something. You know, you're a lot smarter than you look and you've got guts."

He started to walk away from the cart and toward the window. "To be honest with you, I wasn't sure what to think. I was trying to understand the psychology of a girl who was stupid enough to blow up her own chest just to hide a missing rib." He was still looking away from Rio. "You were intuitive and knew my perspective had changed. You switched from evasion to attack. So you devised this little challenge to ensure that I would have a crushing defeat." He paused. "Would you seriously put yourself in a position where you had a fifty percent chance of dying?"

He looked back at Rio. "You know, I really wouldn't put it past you to do something so crazy. After all, you did blow yourself up on purpose back at the school. But, of course, at that point, the web we laid out was rapidly closing in, and your only option was to walk the tightrope of death. So, now we find ourselves here. You've called my bluff and, at the moment, you certainly have the upper hand. It would seem that you have me right where you want me. So, why would you find it necessary to bet your life again?" Ayumu closed his eyes. "Common sense would dictate that you wouldn't." He looked Rio again. "This game is rigged so you would have one hundred percent chance of winning."

"But, I gave you the first move. You chose your glass first. How could I have rigged the game? You saw everything I did." Rio said.

"That's right, I did see, and that's where you gave it away." He pointed to Rio with his hand that held the glass. "You were going to drink first, if you didn't die, then by process of elimination my cup would have the poison. Why would anyone in their right mind actually drink water they knew was poisoned? There never was any poison to begin with. Both packets had sugar in them. You started this scheme by blowing yourself up, making me believe you were willing to risk your own life." He paused.

"So, all you had to do was drink the water, not die, and you'd win. I'd be too afraid to drink what I thought was a glass of strychnine. You'd have your victory over me and I would walk away in shame." His voice carried more confidence now than it did before. "You said earlier that you called my bluff, Rio? Well, now I'm calling yours." He paused for a moment.

"You did make a bad miscalculation, though. If one of us had actually died of strychnine poisoning what were you planning to do with the body? What would you have told the police? They would run tests and discover that the death was a homicide." He held out his glass. "You wouldn't take that chance. These glasses are only sugar water."

I smiled at Ayumu as he moved the glass closer to him and tilted it so he could drink it. My smile faded as he stopped and his eyes went wide. He slammed the glass down on the table and fell to his knees. His hand was covering his mouth. I gasped. The water must have really been poisoned.

"Ayumu!" Hiyono bent down next to Ayumu.

Rio smirked, "That's just what I expected. You talk big, but when it came down to it, you hardly touched the water to your lips before you gave way to caution. You didn't drink nearly enough to kill yourself. That's no way to go about changing your fate."

She said fate again. And what she said before was bugging me. It was almost like she had wanted him to drink the water despite it tasting bitter. That would mean that it's not poisoned, and Ayumu needed to believe in his deductions and keep drinking the water even though it tasted like strychnine. I was right; this was all just a test.

Ayumu looked up at her in shock as she drank her water. She put the glass down on the cart and turned to him, "You believe me now? I promised a fair game."

Ayumu looked from Rio to the cups. As soon as he looked away Rio's expression changed. She almost looked like she was surprised at his reaction. She looked at Kousuke, who shook his head.

I couldn't take this anymore. I started to say something, but was interrupted by Hiyono. "Hold it right there!" She said, gaining everyone's attention, "I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that Ayumu's reasoning was wrong."

Rio looked at her, "But the results are in. Just look at him. It's obvious his reasoning was flawed."

"Not a chance, Rio! I believe in Ayumu!" She picked up the glass Ayumu had, "There is no poison in this glass and I'll prove it!"

Hiyono handed the glass to me. I understood her intentions. She knew I felt the same as her. I held the glass up to my lips, and started to drink the water. I was with Hiyono on this one. I wouldn't die from poison today. It was really bitter, but I kept drinking. Rio gasped and Kousuke stood up, a look of disbelief on his face. Ayumu had the same look. Hiyono, however, smiled at me. When I finished the water I grimaced. It did not taste good. I looked up at Rio with a smile, "See? It was nothing more than really bitter tasting water." I set the glass down.

Hiyono pointed at Rio, "Too bad for you, this isn't over!"

Rio glared at Hiyono and I.

"Regardless of what you think, Ayumu hasn't lost to you." Hiyono said. "You owe us another match."

Rio chuckled slightly and closed her eyes, "I admit it, I did use a little trickery. But," she looked up at us again, "whether you like it or not, he did lose the challenge. Look at him. He knows he has failed horribly."

I looked at Ayumu. He was looking down at the ground, so I couldn't see his face.

"He thought he had it all figured out, but he didn't. And, now he sits there, a cowardly looser, ashamed of himself, as he should be."

"Oh, get over yourself already!" Hiyono stepped forward, "Ayumu had you by the throat and you were lucky you were able to slither your way out. You cheated rather than face a real challenge. Why didn't you go through with it for real? Why didn't you use real poison? Because you're the coward, that's why. You should be the one hanging your head in shame. You set up a rigged game and depended on a cheap trick to save your skin! You didn't have the guts to face him fairly! If you truly wanted to settle things, you should have put faith in your luck and risked your life. Instead, all you did was trick him!"

This was where Hiyono and I disagreed. _I don't think she used that trick to save herself. I still think she was testing Ayumu's self-confidence; which means he did fail. Rio needs Ayumu to be confident in himself for some reason, but what? _I didn't get a chance to voice my thoughts as Hiyono kept talking.

Hiyono crossed her arms. "You knew that fate and luck were on Ayumu's side and not yours. You knew you would lose to him unless the game was rigged. You feared Ayumu from the beginning. You weren't afraid of a bomb, but you were afraid of Ayumu's ability to figure you out. You couldn't put your life in the hands of fate." She put her hands on her hips. "You were the one who ran away first. So you can take your pompous, self-righteous attitude and shove it!"

I then realized why Hiyono was saying all of this. She was saying it so Ayumu could regain his confidence in himself quicker. All of it was for Ayumu.

"You frighten me, really." Rio said with her eyes closed. She paused and almost looked as if she was secretly agreeing with Hiyono. She opened her eyes and looked Hiyono in the eyes, dismissing all signs of emotion, "Sorry. Today's just not your lucky day. Understand, we made a promise with Kiyotaka regarding Ayumu. He insisted that we treat him with a certain respect. He never said anything about you. If you're going to insist on being a problem, I won't hesitate to eliminate you and the red head."

_Meaning me._

Hiyono gestured to herself and me, "So you're just going to kill us, too? Like you killed Mr. Imazato?"

"Yes. Murder is just so easy, and honestly, life can be a whole lot less risky once you've removed your enemies."

I glanced at Hiyono and noticed that one of her hands was in her pocket.

"Killing Imazato was easy," Rio continued, "and killing you will be easier."

I heard a click. "I've been waiting for you to say that!" Hiyono pulled a tape recorder out of her pocket. "I've been recording everything you've said. The cops are going to love this."

Rio and Kousuke both gasped in unison. Ayumu did, too. I smiled. I figured Hiyono would do something like that.

"You've admitted to murdering Mr. Imazato, plus you've threatened to kill me. Anything else you'd like to add to your statement? This is a pretty compelling piece of evidence, wouldn't you say?" She walked past Ayumu to the window, "I started recording when we came into the room, so I've got everything. I had a hard time getting you to talk about it, but a good reporter knows how to lead her subject." She put a finger to her chin and looked at the ceiling, "You were being cautious and that's understandable," she turned to Rio, "but in the end, like so many others, you let your guard down." She held the tape in front of her. "I think the police will find just enough evidence here to bring a solid case against you."

Kousuke laughed slightly and held his head in his hand, "You sneaky little vixen!"

Hiyono smiled, "I always save the trump card for the end of the game. Don't you?"

"Okay, Hiyono. What is it that you want from us?" Rio said, "I don't think you'd be telling us this if you were just going to give the tape to the cops."

Hiyono turned to Rio, "Yeah. I do want something. A fair rematch between you and Ayumu."

Rio and Kousuke stared at Hiyono with unbelieving expressions. I stepped forward, "And I want you to tell me how to contact Eyes Rutherford."

Kousuke looked at me, "Rutherford? What do you want with him?"

Ayumu stood up, "Hiyono! What are you thinking?"

Hiyono smiled at him, "I'm thinking about you, silly! Don't you like my idea?"

Ayumu stared at Hiyono. Kousuke took advantage of the pause and ran past Ayumu and pushed me out of the way of the cart. He picked up a glass and threw it at Hiyono. Hiyono gasped, and the glass hit her hand, knocking the tape to the ground. The glass shattered at her feet. Ayumu gasped as Kousuke jumped over the bed and dove for the tape.

"Ayumu!" Hiyono shouted and kicked the tape over to Ayumu. Kousuke hit the ground with a groan and rolled to his feet. Ayumu put his hand on the tape.

"Hey, let go of her!" I shouted at Kousuke who had grabbed Hiyono's wrists. She struggled to get free, but Kousuke was stronger than her.

"You crossed the line, little girl." Kousuke said with a smirk.

"Oh, it can get much worse, I assure you." Hiyono smiled, which made Kousuke's smirk vanish. She looked at Ayumu, "Ayumu, you have to hurry! Run! Get the tape out of here!"

Ayumu stood up with the tape in his hands.

"I wouldn't if I were you!" Kousuke said as he opened the window he was standing in front of. Hiyono gasped as he pushed her head out the window so she was leaning over the railing. Kousuke looked at Ayumu, "Give the tape to Rio, or watch your little friend here make like the pretty birdies and fly."

"Ayumu! Don't do it. As long as you have the tape they won't hurt me." Hiyono shouted, "You know it won't don them any good to kill me until they get ahold of that tape! Think about it. They are not going to be satisfied if they have to end this challenge with brute force!" Hiyono turned her head so she could see Ayumu, "Go, Ayumu! I'll be fine. You will face them another day and you'll win! Believe in your strength!"

"She's right, Ayumu!" I said, "You have to get out! Go!"

Ayumu closed his eyes, turned around, and ran past me out the door.

Kousuke watched him leave, and then looked back at Hiyono. "Damn," he looked back at me, "And what about you? Why didn't you run?"

"Like I said, I want you to tell me how to contact Eyes. I'm not leaving until you do."

Kousuke lifted Hiyono from the windowsill, "Well, I guess we should just hold onto them for a while."

Rio smiled slightly and closed her eyes, "Kousuke, you might want to consider letting go of her."

Kousuke looked at Rio with a puzzled look. Hiyono held something up, which made Kousuke look back at her. She pressed a button, activating the taser she held in her hand. Kousuke's expression turned to fear and he immediately released her and fell back onto the floor by the bed.

Hiyono looked at her taser, "Do you like it? My special stun-gun packs a hundred thousand volts! Enough to bring a bear to its knees!"

Kousuke pointed at her, "Be careful with that thing! You could hurt someone."

Hiyono turned her back to him, still holding up her stun-gun, "That's the point, Kousuke. Maybe you'll think twice the next time you try and push me out a window."

Rio turned to Hiyono, "So, you could have gotten away any time you wanted to. Isn't that right?"

Hiyono put her hand down and smiled, "Yeah. Well, I like to plan ahead."

"Then why didn't you just leave with him?" Rio asked.

Hiyono turned around, holding up a finger, "You guys having me and Kairi as hostages is just the kind of motivation Ayumu needs right now."

"Come again?" Kousuke asked, confused.

"I'm interested in the degree to which you want Ayumu and I to have a rematch. You're very passionate." Rio said. "But I'm not sure that your hostage plan was such a good idea, given the circumstances." She opened her eyes, looking at me still and not Hiyono, "It might give him the feeling that he failed you two and himself. Maybe this is the worst thing you could've done. No, this won't sit well with him, that's for sure. When he's had a chance to think it through he'll see." She looked at Hiyono, "The poor boy is finished, Hiyono."

"You know," Hiyono moved her hand under her chin, "they say when you fall, it's best to fall straight to the bottom. And the farther you have to crawl back up," she turned to Rio, "the stronger and greater you will become as a result."

Rio stared at Hiyono in silence.

After that, Kousuke took Hiyono and I to the place where we were going to be held prisoner. It was a simple, gray room with a small green couch, a coffee table, and a barred window. It looked like a storage room. After he led us to the room, he asked us to hand over our bags and whatever we had in our pockets. Hiyono handed over her school bag as well as her stun-gun. I handed over my bag, but as I pulled my good luck charm out of my pocket I asked Kousuke if I could hang onto it. He said it was fine considering it was just a charm. I was glad.

As I figured, Kousuke wouldn't answer any of my questions about Eyes. I would have to be patient. I thought about what Hiyono had said back at the hospital. _When you fall, it's best to fall straight to the bottom. And the farther you have to crawl back up the stronger and greater you will become as a result. _I hoped the same could be said about Sora and Riku. I pulled out my charm and looked at it, "Please be safe, you two…"

_ Outside the window, Kira kira kira ki, A shooting star streaks, Kira kira kira ki_, Hiyono sang as we watched the moon through the little window, _ The moon glows brightly, Yura yura yura ri, Napping so peacefully, In the ocean of the stars. _

_**Kousuke's P.O.V.**_

I had just finished locking those two annoying girls up, thankfully without that loud-mouthed girl using her taser on me. I had taken all of their stuff from them, minus the taser, and left them locked into a room with only a window that was impossible to pen. I was now with Rutherford in his apartment watching him as he wrote music.

"So Little Narumi escaped with the tape?" Rutherford asked after I finished explaining what had happened at the hospital.

"Yeah, but we got his two friends captive." I replied.

"We don't want those two getting involved." He stated.

"We're only using them to get Little Narumi to come to us." I stated.

"Did you at least take all their belongings?" He asked.

"Of course. The red haired girl asked to only keep a charm she had. I figured that was okay." I stated.

"It should be fine." He stated with a bored tone.

I started looking through both the girls' bags. In The pigtailed girl's bag was just a notebook, a set of pens, her cell phone, two puppets, and her wallet. In the red haired girl's bag were a journal, her wallet, a cell phone, a small bag which held strange coins inside, and also a small photograph case. I pulled it out and looked at the picture.

In the picture were three kids, a girl and two boys, all about age twelve or so. They were huddled close together as they hung onto each other in the picture. The red haired girl was turned sideways and had a finger pointed at the spiky brown haired boy. The girl wore a white tank top, with purple shorts and purple sandals. The boy in the middle had light brown hair spiked in every direction like mine with ocean blue eyes. He wore a white shirt with red lining and red shorts along with red sandals. Around his neck was a silver crown necklace.

The last boy shocked me a bit. He looked like a miniature Eyes, same silver hair but his eyes were an ocean green color. He wore a yellow sleeveless shirt and blue jeans with black shoes. His left arm was wrapped around the brown haired boy and he was turned sideways. He was the only one not smiling. The kids seemed to be standing on a beach of sorts and in the background was an island that looked like it had trees on it.

"Hey Rutherford, I didn't know you knew the red-headed girl." I said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You're in this picture with her and a boy with spiky brown hair." I stated.

"What?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said as I handed it to him. "The three of you are standing on the beach. Looks nice." I added as he took it. I saw his eyes widen for a moment as if the picture surprised him, but then his expression returned to normal.

"That is not me." He stated firmly.

"It has to be, though." I argued.

"I've never seen those two before." He answered crossly.

"Well, can I have it back then?" I asked as I held my hand out.

"No." He stated plainly.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because." He stated.

"Fine, be that way." I said as I took the bags.

I didn't get a response.

"Well, bye." I said as I left.

_**Eyes' P.O.V.**_

As soon as Kousuke left, I looked back at the picture he handed me. There was no doubt who the two boys were. Riku and Sora. _But…why would someone in this world have a picture of them? No, it can't be them...could it? _I noticed in the background was an island. _Our…I mean…their island… _I looked at the third person in the picture, the red-headed girl. Was it possible that she knew them? That she, too, was from Destiny Islands?

I shook my head and put the picture down, "No, I left Riku to protect him. He's no longer a part of my life…" I held my side as the pain in my chest caused by my missing rib returned, "…Riku…"

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**Shiro:**_ I hope you liked this chapter! The next chapter with Sora and Riku will be a very interesting one. Let's just say Riku goes a little bit to far, and Sora isn't ready. Please keep reading and reviewing!_

_Also, I've noticed that the site isn't recording our hits/visitors anymore. I'm positive that someone has read chapter 10, but it hasn't recorded that. Is anyone else having this problem? Nothing has been recorded for the past 5 days._


	12. Revealed

**Shiro:** _**WARNING - This chapter contains excessive drinking, smoking, and sexual harassment- making this one hell of a chapter!** Enjoy. I wrote Riku's part and Hachi wrote Sora's part of course._

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_**Riku**__**'s P.O.V.**_

I stayed up even after Ritsuka, Natsuo, and Youji had gone to bed. I was tired, yes, but I wasn't going to fall asleep until Sora woke up. I never left his side.

"You need to relax, Ri-chan." Kio sat down next to me.

"Don't call me 'Ri-chan'." I said without looking at him.

"Sora's going to be fine. You're way too serious. Here." He held his hand out to me, offering whatever he was holding.

I looked at the drink he was holding, "Beer?" I looked at him questioningly.

"It'll help you loosen up." He said lightly.

"I'm underage." I argued.

"Just take it. We're not going to tell." He put it in my hand.

I looked at the can for a moment. _I suppose…one wouldn't hurt._ I opened the tab and put the can to my lips. The smell of the alcohol filled my nose and nearly made me gag. Kio watched me, urging me to drink it with his eyes. I held my breath and took a bigger sip than I intended. I coughed as it went down my throat.

"See? Not so bad is it?" Kio laughed and took a sip of his own can.

I shook my head and looked at the drink in my hand. After the initial shock, it actually didn't taste too bad. I took another sip. This time it went down easier than the first. Before I knew it, my can was empty.

"Here, have another." Kio said as he handed one to me.

I took it gladly and opened it up. It was a welcome distraction from everything that had happened the past few days.

_**Sora's P.O.V**_

As I slowly drifted back into consciousness I started to remember what had happened. As I opened my eyes I found I was lying on a bed, in Soubi's house I guessed. I noticed that it was kind of quiet as I sat up. I looked around the room and saw Natsuo and Youji asleep on a make shift bed and Ritsuka asleep on Soubi's bed.

I looked at the kitchen area and saw Riku sitting at the table. His head rested on the table but I could tell he was awake. I moved my feet to the side of the bed and watched him for a few.

"Riku?" I called quietly.

I saw him jolt slightly before he lifted his head. He turned to me and I noticed something was off. He smiled as he stood up and walked over to me, though it was more like staggered over. I took a quick glance at the table and saw cans of something. Before I could ask what it was, Riku was kneeling in front of me.

I tried to hold my breath as he began to talk, because his breath stank.

"Glad…to…se...e…you...re awake." He slurred out.

"Riku are you okay?" I asked concerned.

"Yeah…I'm…fine…" He managed to say.

"Your breath stinks…kind of like beer…" I commented.

"Ahh…" He replied lazily as he lay on the bed.

"Did you drink beer?" I asked.

"Only… a few…" He said.

"Riku, you're underage!" I cried quietly.

"Kio… said… it'd… help… me… unwind…" He said slowly.

"Riku…" I replied worriedly as I leaned near him.

"Sora?" He asked.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Your eyes are so beautiful." He replied.

"What?" I asked again, thoroughly lost.

Before I could react he had pushed me on my back in the center of the bed and got on top of me. He had this strange look in his sea green eyes that scared me slightly.

"Sora, you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen." He said.

"Thanks?" I asked confused.

"It's so hard to resist." He breathed huskily.

"Resist?" I asked.

"Yes, I've been resisting the urge to take you…" He whispered as he nestled his head next to my neck.

"Riku?" I asked worried.

"Your smell… it's addicting… it calls to me…" He whispered.

"Riku…You're scaring me…" I stated.

"I can't hold back." He stated.

Before I could react I felt Riku bite my neck as his hands began to run over my chest. I felt his hands run over my nipples through my shirt and I gasped at the feeling. He continued to run his hands over my upper body as I tried to push him away.

"Riku…stop!" I cried quietly.

"Sora, I love you." Was all he said.

I felt his hands begin to move lower on my body and I froze as they reached a spot that I didn't want him touching. He began to feel between my legs, making me gasp as I tried to push him off. I felt him begin to massage my member through my pants; I let out a small moan at the feeling.

"Riku!" I cried sternly.

I felt his hands on the top of my pants and I felt him prepare to pull them down when I cried out one last time.

"Riku! Stop!" I cried out loudly.

Before I knew it a door had slammed open and Riku was pulled off me. I looked up to see Soubi holding onto him with a glare. He turned to me with a worried look.

"Are you okay?" Soubi asked.

"Y...Yes…" I stuttered out.

"Let me take care of this idiot." Soubi said as he began to drag Riku to the bathroom.

I heard the shower turn on and then a yelp that sounded like it came from Riku. I saw Soubi come out after a while with an annoyed look on his face. He walked over to his bed and picked Ritsuka up and walked back to my bed. He set Ritsuka down on the bed and covered him up.

"What are you doing?" I asked confused.

"Would you rather have Riku share the bed with you with the chance he might still be drunk?" Soubi asked.

"No…" I muttered.

"Then this will fix that problem for tonight." Soubi stated.

I nodded and lay back down on the bed as I began to grow tired. I felt Soubi cover me up as I heard the bathroom door open. I heard the floorboards creak as Riku approached the bed slowly. I felt him sit on the bed and run a hand over through my hair sweeping my bangs out of my face. I felt him lean close and place a kiss on my forehead before pulling away and getting up. I fell asleep soon after that.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

"What would you have done if I hadn't stopped you and you did something to Sora you would have regretted?" Soubi asked.

"I don't know…" I was leaning against the rail of his balcony. We were standing outside so Soubi could smoke. Plus, the fresh air was refreshing.

Soubi sighed, "Well, what's done is done."

We stood in silence for a few minutes. I watched the stars in the sky twinkle and hide behind the clouds as if they were shy little kids. I hung my head. "I'm such an idiot," I said.

"Yes." Soubi agreed in his usual tone.

"That wasn't how I was supposed to tell him I loved him…" I said quietly. I was sure Soubi had heard me, but he didn't show any signs that he had.

Soubi blew out one last puff of smoke before extinguishing his cigarette in a nearby ashtray. He turned to me, "Go to sleep, kid. I'd say you'll feel better in the morning, but you won't. You'll feel worse."

I stood up straight and brushed some stray hairs out of my face, "I know…"

I hardly slept that night. Soubi made me sleep with him in his bed, which was more than a little uncomfortable. It felt like when I had finally fallen asleep, I was woken up by a very loud and very obnoxious voice.

"Goooood morning, Ri-chan!" Youji's voice rang through my head.

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. I noticed that I had room to move on the bed, meaning Soubi had gotten up already. However, before long all I could notice was the massive headache I had woken up to.

The blanket was pulled off of me, "Time to get up, you perverted alcoholic." Natsuo said in a mocking tone. I tried to look at them, but I was blinded by the light in the room.

"I'm never drinking again…" I mumbled before pulling a pillow over my face.

"Get up, kid. It's almost noon." I heard Soubi's voice say.

"No." I argued through the pillow. I didn't hear an answer. I closed my eyes and tried to fall back asleep. Suddenly, I felt myself be picked up off of the bed and dropped onto the couch. It took me a minute to figure out what just happened to me. Soubi had taken me from the bed. I blinked a few times to try to get used to the light, but it took several minutes for my eyes to adjust.

"Are you okay now, Riku?" I heard Sora ask. I turned to where I heard his voice and saw him sitting at the table. I looked away from him, ashamed at what I had done to him the night before.

"Not really…" I said. In truth, I felt like I wanted to puke.

"He has a hangover." Natsuo stated.

"Here." Soubi held out a glass of water to me, "You're dehydrated. Water will help."

"Thanks." I took the water and drank it slowly to make sure I could hold it down.

"We should go to an amusement park today." I heard Ritsuka say as I finished my water.

"Yeah! That sounds fun!" Sora said.

"We'll pass." Natsuo said. "Youji and I don't want to go anywhere today."

Ritsuka turned to Soubi, "Will you take us, Soubi?"

Soubi nodded, "As soon as you're ready."

Sora smiled and looked at me, "Are you ready, Riku?"

I still had a headache, but the water helped a lot. I felt I was well enough to go out. "Yeah." I said.

Ritsuka sat in the front of the car with Soubi, while Sora and I sat in the back. I still couldn't look him in the eyes. I felt Sora's hand touch mine, as if he was telling me that he forgave me. I didn't look at him, but I gripped his hand tightly. It was a fairly quiet ride.

The park we went to reminded me of the one back on Destiny Islands. Sora, Eyes and I would always go there when we were kids. I would force Sora on the scariest looking roller coasters. Eyes never rode with us, but he watched us and smiled. He would buy us cotton candy and win one of those silly amusement park games for us and give us the prizes he won. He was excellent at the shooting games.

Ritsuka dragged all of us all over the park. We went on all the rides and saw every attraction. Soubi, like Eyes, never rode with us. In a way, Soubi reminded me of my missing older brother. We stayed at the park until it was about to get dark, then Soubi suggested we leave.

"Wait," Sora said, "there's one more thing we haven't gone on."

"What?" Ritsuka asked.

"That." Sora pointed to a giant Ferris wheel close to us. "Our day's not done until we've gone on everything!" He ran off toward the Ferris wheel with Ritsuka chasing after him. Both of them were laughing. Soubi and I walked at our own pace after them.

"It only fits two people per carriage." Sora said as Soubi and I got to them.

"Ritsuka and I will take one." Soubi said. "You two can take another."

I blushed slightly at the thought of being alone with Sora in the Ferris wheel. At the same time, I didn't want to say no. Soubi and Ritsuka got on first, and then Sora and I climbed in the one after them. It was a fairly small carriage, with two seats each across from the other. Sora and I both sat down as the door was closed behind us. As the ride started to move, I looked out the window at the evening sky. The sun was almost gone, and stars were already beginning to show.

"Riku…?" Sora said after a few minutes.

I looked at him, "What is it, Sora?"

He paused and looked out the window. I could tell something was on his mind, and I guessed it probably had something to do with last night.

"I'm sorry about last night. I was…"

"I know. It's okay…" He still didn't look at me.

I waited a minute and watched the sky with him, and then I looked back at him, "What's on your mind? You're not usually this quiet."

He looked at me, "Riku…how long have you…liked me…?" His face turned a light shade of pink.

"Ever since…" I thought back. "I realized my feelings for you after you fell asleep."

"Really?"

I nodded, "I thought I was going to loose you, Sora. I couldn't stand that thought. I did everything I could to bring you back sooner. I wanted to tell you before…in the realm of darkness…"

"On the beach?"

I nodded again.

"Why didn't you?"

I paused at this and looked back at the sky, "I guess…I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Rejection."

He was quiet. After a few seconds I heard him move and felt the carriage swing slightly. When I turned back to him, he had leaned in and kissed me on the lips. I was surprised, but I soon closed my eyes and kissed him back. He pulled away and looked into my eyes, "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" I asked.

"That you loved me." He blushed.

I felt my face turn red and I looked away, "Sora…that wasn't how I wanted to tell you…"

"Then…you _do_ love me?" He asked.

I looked back at him and stared deep into his pure blue eyes. "Yes. I love you, Sora." I pulled him onto my lap and pressed my lips to his. This time he immediately returned the kiss. I broke the kiss only slightly and whispered, "I promise not to do anything to hurt you like that again. We'll go as slow as you want. If all you're comfortable with right now is my kiss, then that's all I'll do."

Sora smiled at me. It was that same goofy smile that I had grown so fond of. "Good." He rested his forehead against mine before continuing. "I've been thinking a lot lately. About you…and me. I thought all I felt for you was friendship, but you were always more than my friend. I never thought that my feelings for you were this big…until you kissed me in the secret cave. After that, I couldn't stop thinking about you. At first I just brushed it off as you teasing me again, but part of me felt…there was more to it than that."

I had to ask the question I was dreading. I had to know. "Do you love me, Sora?"

He looked into my eyes and opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn't. He seemed to be thinking. It felt like forever before he finally spoke. "I think…I think I do." His face turned bright red.

My heart leapt at his words. I smiled and pulled him into another kiss. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly to him. I licked his bottom lip, asking permission to enter his mouth. To my delight, he opened his mouth just enough for my tongue to slide inside. I got a moan from Sora, causing me to shiver in pleasure. His tongue met mine and eagerly wrapped itself around it. Our tongues danced together until we both had to pull away for air. He rested his head on my chest and closed his eyes, "I love you, Riku."

I ran my fingers through his spiked hair, "I love you too, Sora." I looked out the window to see that we were at the top of the Ferris wheel. It had stopped, giving us a view of the whole park. Beyond the park, I could see the ocean. Beyond the ocean, the stars gleamed and sparkled as if they were alive. As I was staring at them, a shooting star caught my eye. I smiled. Back on Destiny Islands, I'd always wish Eyes would come home when I saw a shooting star. Since then I've learned that wishing on stars will get you nothing. Still, I figured one more wish wouldn't hurt. _I wish I could find Eyes soon…and bring him home…_

It was pretty late when we all returned to Soubi's place. The lights were out, which meant Natsuo and Youji were probably asleep.

"We're home." Soubi said. "Are you asleep?"

I was the last one in, so I closed the door behind us as Soubi flipped on the lights.

"What's that?" Sora asked. I looked at what he was pointing to. There was a piece of paper sitting on the table.

"I see…" Soubi picked it up. "So they left."

I walked over to him and read the note he was holding. It said, "Going home".

* * *

**Shiro: **_Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Now, the little warning we had up there was partly inspired by Black Butler. You know, Sebastian's famous quote, "I'm just one hell of a butler." Yeah, we were in a Black Butler mood. Anyway, please keep reading and reviewing! ^-^_


	13. The Game

**Shiro: **_Hey, so back to Kairi. She's getting closer and closer to Eyes, but what will it cost her in the end? I wrote Kairi's part and Hachi wrote Kousuke's part._

* * *

_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

Hiyono and I got to know each other pretty well while we were being held prisoner. She even taught me that weird song of hers. Pretty soon I found myself humming it without thinking. I couldn't really sleep that night, unlike Hiyono. She slept as if she was asleep in her own bed at home. I sighed to myself while staring at my charm. _If this is the only way to get in contact with Riku's older brother, then so be it! _I thought.

In the morning we sat quietly, except for one of us occasionally humming Hiyono's song. Hiyono was fixing the braids in her hair that had come loose while she slept when we both heard the door open. We turned to see Kousuke walk in holding a plastic bag that looked as if it held food. My stomach growled.

Kousuke closed the door behind him, "Breakfast is served." He said with a smile.

Hiyono glared at him, "You're late! I am a VIP, you know!"

Kousuke looked at her in disbelief for a second, and then closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, whatever." He threw the back to me, "Here you go, ladies."

"Thank you." I smiled at him. I figured it was best to be nice to him so he might give me answers about Eyes. He blushed slightly and looked away from me. I opened the bag and looked inside. Hiyono looked over my shoulder and gasped.

"Just bread and milk? I always have a Japanese style breakfast," she looked at Kousuke, "with egg, miso soup, tofu, and seaweed. Anything else just goes against common sense."

_Just be happy we're getting food at all_, I thought.

Kousuke sighed, "What does an idiot who lets herself get kidnapped on purpose know about common sense?

Hiyono reached into the bag, "I am not and idiot." She pulled out a packet of bread and started to open it. "And if I hadn't let you take me hostage, you guys would be at a severe disadvantage right now." She opened the packet. "Honestly, you should be thanking me." She took a bite of the bread.

I pulled my own bread out of the bag and opened the packet it was in and took a bite. It didn't taste too bad.

Kousuke sat down on the table across from us. "I don't get it. Aren't you scared at all?"

Hiyono blinked, still biting her bread.

"Think about it. Both Rio and I could finish both of you off in the blink of an eye. If your trump card, that little tape you made, makes its way to the cops, both she and I will have hell to pay. But we have things ready behind the scenes, so keep in mind, we could kill you right now and walk away." Kousuke said seriously.

I gulped and gripped my good luck charm tightly. _Sora…Riku…Ayumu…_

Hiyono remained calm. She lowered her bread, "But you would prefer to take care of all this quietly, am I right?"

Kousuke look surprised.

"You know how severe Rio's injuries are. Plus, both of you are still sitting around waiting to see what Ayumu has up his sleeve. And that means you can't get rid of us, at least not now." Hiyono smiled, "So until the rematch between Ayumu and Rio is decided, we're safe!"

Kousuke stared at her, "I sold you short."

"So I gotta ask," Hiyono said, ignoring Kousuke's comment, "have you had any luck tracking down Ayumu?"

Kousuke rested his face on his hand and looked away, "Nah, still can't find him."

"That so?" Hiyono took another bite of bread. I took my milk out of the bag, poked the straw through the whole in the top, and began to drink it. Hiyono closed her eyes and lowered her bread, "Sounds to me like your information network isn't working out for ya. Finding a close place to keep us must have taken a decent amount of funds, which means you have at least some level of organization. But I do notice that you have a lack of people." She smiled, "What do you think? I'm trying to use logic like Ayumu does."

Kousuke hadn't moved or given any indication that he was even remotely interesting in what she was saying. Frankly, neither was I. I tuned her out after a while. I was just waiting for my chance to ask about Eyes. I knew it seemed selfish, but I was so close. I was worried about Ayumu, don't get me wrong, but at the same time I had confidence that he would find a way to save Hiyono and me. Or…at the least Sora and Riku would come for me… _No, I can't always rely on others to rescue me. I got myself into this, and I can get myself out. I just need to believe in myself._

"Kousuke…" I heard Hiyono say after I focused back on the conversation. "Tell me, what exactly are the Blade Children?"

Kousuke stared at her blankly, "You wanna keep living, shut your trap."

Hiyono was silent after that. We all were.

"Kousuke." I said after Hiyono and I had finished our bread and milk.

Kousuke looked at me, "What is it, Kairi?"

_He remembered my name?_ "Tell me about Eyes."

"Rutherford? Why would I do that? Are you a fan or something?"

"No. I'm a friend of his little brother."

"Little brother? What little brother?"

"His name is Riku."

"Riku? I've never heard him mention anyone by that name."

"He hasn't?" I looked down. Why would Eyes not mention anything about Riku? Was it because he wanted to forget? That he figured he'd never see him again? I guessed that made sense. I looked up at Kousuke, "I need to talk to him."

"You think I'm just going to let you talk to Rutherford just like that?"

"Then ask him. Ask him about his little brother Riku. Ask him about a boy named Sora and a place called Destiny Islands. And tell him that I'm from there. Tell him that Riku and Sora are coming to bring him home."

"And if I don't?" Kousuke raised an eyebrow.

"Then we'll make it a bet. If Ayumu wins the rematch between him and Rio, then you have to tell me how to contact Eyes. Deal?"

Kousuke stared at me, and didn't answer.

I sighed.

Hiyono spoke up, breaking the silence. "I've been thinking about this for a while. If Riku is Eyes' younger brother, does that make him a Blade Child, too?"

I stared at her, stunned. I hadn't thought of that before. "But… Riku would never…"

"It's a possibility." She said.

I looked at my charm, "…Riku may have given in to the darkness before…but he found his way out. And Riku…Riku would never kill anyone."

"Are you sure about that?"

I stood up and turned to her, "I know Riku! He's kind, and smart! He'd never murder someone! If he stumbles, he does everything he can to make it up to the people he's hurt, even if it means sacrificing himself!" My voice was louder than I had intended.

"She may have a point." Kousuke said, lost in his own thoughts.

I turned to him, "What?"

"All of the Blade Children are siblings. We all have the same father, but different mothers. If Riku is Rutherford's little brother then he'd be a Blade Child, too."

"Same father? All of you had the same father?"

Kousuke froze and looked as if he just let slip information he shouldn't have. "J…Just forget I said anything."

I was quiet. I felt that prying any further would be a bad idea. I sat back down next to Hiyono and stared up at the ceiling. "Riku saved me before…now it's my turn to pay him back. That's why I'm going to do everything I can to find Eyes…" I closed my eyes. Suddenly, I felt my sleep deprivation catching up to me. I heard Hiyono start talking again, but I was lost in my dreams before I could make out what she said.

_**Kousuke's P.O.V.**_

I sat on the couch and watched Eyes intently as I thought of what to do. Finally I took a deep breath before looking at him fully.

"Rutherford?" I asked.

"What is it Kousuke?" Eyes asked.

"I was speaking with that Kairi girl some more today." I said.

"And?" He asked.

"She kept mentioning needing to contact you." I stated.

"Why would she need to do that?" Eyes asked.

"She said needing to contact you about something." I continued.

"Which is?" Eyes asked.

"Your little brother, Riku?" I asked.

I watched as Eyes seemed to tense up for a split second before going back to what he was working on.

"She told me to ask you about a boy named Sora." I tried.

He seemed to again tense up but not as much at this, but still he ignored me.

"And about a place called Destiny Islands. She said she's from Destiny Islands too." I continued.

"What is this nonsense?" Eyes asked with a blank tone.

"She also said Riku and Sora are coming to bring you home." I added.

"That's impossible…" I faintly heard him mumble.

"Rutherford?" I asked looking at him as he turned to look at me.

I remained quiet as I caught his gaze and slightly froze. His eyes told me to leave it alone and get out or else. I turned to go towards the door and opened it but before I left I turned to him.

"If you do indeed have a little brother named Riku, then he's got to be one of the Blade Children like us." I stated before leaving.

"He's not one of us…" I heard Eyes say as I closed the door.

_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

The next day when Kousuke brought Hiyono and me our breakfasts, he sat down in front of us like he did the day before. "We're going to play a little game." He said.

"Another one already?" Hiyono asked.

"We weren't the ones who suggested it. This time it was Little Narumi."

Hiyono closed her eyes and smiled, "Are you serious? Oh, I can't wait!"

"What is the game, Kousuke?" I asked in a serious tone.

"The object of this game is to get both the tape and Hiyono, the girl, which are located in different parts of town. There are obstacles, naturally. But there are no complicated rules."

"What about me?" I asked.

"There is one special rule concerning you, Kairi. You are only allowed to slow me or Rio down; you can't handle the tape or this." He held up a little key, "I'm going to give Hiyono this key to hold on to." He flipped it up.

Hiyono caught it with both hands and looked at it, "What is it for?"

"It disarms a bomb that's been placed in a certain location." Kousuke said. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you, that if you can't disarm the bomb within the given time limit," he held up his hand and closed his eyes, "_boom_."

"What is this 'certain location'?" I asked.

Kousuke smirked at us and rested his chin on his hands, "Wouldn't you like to know?" He paused. "Around Little Narumi's neck."

I gasped, "What?"

"That's right." Kousuke said, "Which is why one of the rules is Kairi can't handle the tape or the key. It'd be way too simple if you could. Hiyono and Little Narumi would meet somewhere to disarm the bomb while you go to get the tape."

"I see…" I said uneasily.

"At 2:30 PM the bomb will explode. You have until then to disarm it." Kousuke continued. "Oh, and if you do anything like call the cops during the game, the bomb will explode immediately. So, no asking for help. At 1:30 you two will be released, and the game will begin. You'll have a 10 minute head start." He reached into his pocket and pulled out two cellphones. "These are for you two."

Hiyono and I both took the phones.

"Rio and I, as well as Little Narumi, each have a phone. All five of our numbers are programmed in, so you can call any of us at any time."

Before either of us had time to respond, Hiyono's phone began to ring. She looked at the name and smiled. She put it up to her ear, "Ayumu!" There was a pause as she listened to Ayumu's reply. Suddenly her expression changed, "Eh? Wait a sec." She stood up with an angry look on her face, "Is that all he can say? The nerve of him!" She changed her pose, lost in her own little world, "Are you all right, my fair princess? They're not treating you badly are they, my beautiful swan?" She returned to looking angry, "Why couldn't he have said something meaningful like that, huh? It's ridiculous!"

"Don't look at me!" Kousuke said.

I looked away from the two of them and at the phone Kousuke gave me. _If only I could just call Eyes… wait a minute!_ I thought. I looked at Kousuke. _He must have his own cell phone. And he must have Eyes' number on it! If I can get his phone from him, I can call Eyes myself. _

Kousuke brought Hiyono and I out of the building we were being held in and to a street corner. He had given us back our bags. The cell phone was in my pocket, and my good luck charm was hung around my neck as a necklace. "If you don't want Little Narumi dead," Kousuke started, "then you'll hafta get out of here fast."

"I won't let you catch me twice." Hiyono replied and stuck her tongue out at Kousuke. She turned and ran off.

I ran off after her. After we had turned a corner, I stopped. I had my _own_ game plan. I peeked around the corner and saw Kousuke getting on his bike. He looked as if he was on the phone, probably with Rio. He started to ride away from me, so I ran after him. I knew I couldn't keep up with a bike on foot, but I had to try. It wasn't long before I was getting tired, and I was loosing sight of Kousuke.

I stopped running and started panting. There was no way I was going to keep up with him. I looked around me. I didn't have any money, so a taxi was out of the question. The only way I could catch up was to borrow a bike or something from someone. I finally spotted a bike. It was leaning up against a light pole. I could see the person it belonged to. He was sitting at a table next to the pole with another man. I ran up to them. "Excuse me," I said.

The first man turned to me. He had black hair that spiked in the back in every direction, like a mix of Riku's and Sora's hair. He had sapphire blue eyes and an "x" shaped scar on his left cheek. He also had pierced ears. I recognized him. "Coach Fair?" I asked.

"Hey, you're that new girl right? Kairi?" He asked. The man he was sitting across from looked at me. He had short black hair and crimson red eyes. I was sure he also was a teacher from the school I was attending.

I nodded, but there was no time for pleasant hellos. "I'm sorry to bother you, but can I borrow your bike? It's an emergency!"

I could tell he sensed the urgency in my voice, "All right, you can use it. Just bring it back here when you're done, ok?"

"Yes, thank you sir!"

"Call me Zack." He said with a smile.

I bowed, "Thank you, Zack." I took the bike and quickly rode off in the direction Kousuke left. At first, I started to panic, but I eventually caught sight of him again. I followed him from a distance to make sure he didn't notice me tailing him.

Kousuke stopped outside Ayumu's apartment building. I had visited his house before. I stopped a distance away to make sure he didn't see me, and I called Ayumu.

"Kairi?" He answered.

"Hey, Ayumu. I followed Kousuke. He's standing outside your apartment building." I said.

"He's probably waiting for the tape to arrive."

"The tape?"

"I sent the tape to myself in the mail. It should be there around 2. If you can, stall him when it gets there. At least long enough for me to get it first."

"Got it."

"Oh, and be careful, Kairi. Kousuke is very dangerous."

"I will be." I hung up and looked back at Kousuke. My options were limited. I had no choice but to lean against the wall and wait, just as Kousuke was. I looked at the time on my phone; it was about 1:45.

I waited and watched Kousuke. I planned out every step I was going to take next. If I messed up, I could seriously be killed. I gripped my good luck charm tightly and took a deep breath. When I next looked at Kousuke, there was a mailman walking past him into the building. The tape had arrived.

Kousuke waited until the man came back out and rode away before going inside. As soon as his back was to me, I sprinted after him. I walked inside just as he was about to pick the lock of one of the mailboxes. I assumed it was Ayumu's.

"Hey, Kousuke." I said.

He jumped slightly and looked at me, "Wh…where did you come from?"

I held out my hand, "Give me your cellphone. You're _real_ cellphone."

He composed himself and glared at me, "You sure like making demands, don't you?"

"If you won't give it to me, then I'm going to have to take it!" I was glad my voice was more confidant than my head.

"Take it? Don't make me laugh."

I took a breath and closed my eyes. _I hope this works_, I thought. I focused on calling back the weapon I had wielded only briefly. It only took a second, and in a flash I was holding the Keyblade Riku had given me back in The World That Never Was: _Destiny's Embrace._

Kousuke took a step back. "What the heck? How'd you do that?"

"Give me the phone, Kousuke." I said.

"Fine, fine. Sheesh." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flip-phone. He threw it to me, and I caught it easily. I flipped it open and went through his contacts. I stopped at the name "Rutherford" and pressed _call_. I held the phone up to my ear.

After a few rings, I heard a soft voice with a slight accent answer, "Kousuke? What do you need?"

"Eyes Rutherford?" I asked.

"Who is this?" He asked calmly.

"My name is Kairi."

I heard his breathing tense for a brief moment, "You. You're the girl who claims to be from…"

"Destiny Islands, that's right. I arrived there after you left. I became friends with Sora and Riku-"

"I left that place behind." He interrupted.

"I know, and that's why we- that is Sora, Riku, and I- came to get you. We're taking you home."

He was silent for a minute. "Is Riku there?"

"No, we got separated on our way here. I'm the only one here right now, but Sora and Riku are on their way!"

"…Riku, you fool…" He said softly.

"How could you say that about your own brother? He cares so much for you that he's nearly risked his life to find you!"

"I didn't want him to find me. I left him…to protect him."

"Protect him? From what?"

"…Me."

"You? But-" I felt something hit my neck, and soon after everything went black.

* * *

**Shiro:**_ Bonus experience points to whomever can guess who was sitting across from Zack! And yes, they're going to be important later on in the story. Please keep reading and reviewing! What could Eyes have meant by saying he left to protect Riku from himself? Find out soon in Spiral Hearts: Eyes of Darkness! 'Outside the Window, Kira kira kira ki_'


	14. Septimal Moon

**Hachi: Ritsuka's starting to get a little naughty in this chapter ;p**

**Shiro:**_ Haha, yes. We also get to see more into Riku's past. Well, here's chapter 14. I wrote Riku's P.O.V.s and Hachi wrote the rest. Enjoy!_

* * *

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

"What did they mean by 'Going home'?" Sora asked Soubi.

"Did they mean…Septimal Moon?" Ritsuka asked. I remembered Soubi saying that name when I first woke up, but other than that I had no idea what Ritsuka was talking about.

Soubi didn't answer.

"Please take me to Septimal Moon, Soubi." Ritsuka ordered.

"What's 'Septimal Moon'?" Sora asked.

Ritsuka looked at him, "They're the ones…who killed my brother."

Soubi was looking away from Ritsuka. "Don't ask me. Order me." He said. "Don't treat me like a human being. Treat me like an object."

"…I don't know what you think you mean…but I know how to handle you." Ritsuka answered. "Take me to Septimal Moon. That's an order."

We all went out to Soubi's car. It was late, but it seemed like this couldn't wait. Ritsuka wanted to find his brother's murderers, and I could sympathize with that. If it was Eyes…well, I didn't want to think about what I would do to them.

Kio turned to Ritsuka after getting in the passenger's seat. "You know, you look a lot like Seimei. The color of your eyes and your hair."

Ritsuka looked at him in shock. "You know Seimei?"

"I knew him. I hated him." Kio said bluntly.

"You…!" Ritsuka clenched his fists.

"Call me Kio."

"Get in back!" Ritsuka ordered, ignoring Kio's words.

"I won't!"

Ritsuka climbed into the back seat. "I don't want your seat. I want you to sit back here with me."

Soubi and Kio stared at Ritsuka without saying anything.

"Soubi, hurry up and start the car." Ritsuka said.

Kio got out of the passengers seat and sat next to Ritsuka in the back. Sora took the seat on the other side of Ritsuka and I sat in the front next to Soubi. We started to drive to wherever this "Septimal Moon" thing was.

After a while, Ritsuka spoke up. "Why…do you hate Seimei?"

I watched the three in back through the rear view mirror.

"Because he was a violent bastard." Kio said bluntly. He offered Ritsuka something. "Want some squid?"

"Ew, no." Ritsuka recoiled from the "squid". "Seimei is kind! He would never use violence…"

Kio popped the squid stick into his mouth and crumpled up the package. "Ritsuka, I'm sure Seimei never treated you especially badly." He said. "He never beat you. Cut you. Rebuked you. Did he?"

They were quiet for a minute until Ritsuka spoke up, "Seimei would never do that…"

"You don't know. But I know." Kio pulled out another packet of dried squid sticks. "I've seen it."

"That's a lie! That…who would he have done that to…?"

"He hurt Sou-chan. You know that. How about a plum?"

"No, thank you!" Ritsuka turned to Soubi. "Soubi, is what he said true?"

"It's a lie." Soubi said quickly. Too quickly.

"I'm not lying." Kio said. "If you had seen Sou-chan naked, you'd know."

I couldn't help but wonder if Kio had seen Soubi completely naked. And why he would have? I blushed at myself as images flashed in my head of Kio and Soubi together…naked…alone… I shook my head to get rid of the images.

"Soubi! Which is it?" Ritsuka asked.

I glanced at Soubi. I couldn't read his expression. "It's a lie." He said.

"It's the truth, I'm telling you." Kio persisted.

Ritsuka slumped down on the seat in front of him. "It's a lie. It…if it's not a lie, then I…"

Sora put his hand on Ritsuka's shoulder. I could see the concern in his eyes.

"Soubi…" Ritsuka mumbled.

I glanced at Soubi again. It was still hard for me to read his expression.

"Ritsuka. Ritsuka! I'm sorry." Kio reached for Ritsuka, but he swatted the other's hand away.

"Don't touch me." Ritsuka said.

"I guess you guys are only the same on the outside." Kio said. "Look, Kio-chan's a pacifist, okay? I hate violence and violent people."

"But…I don't like violence either!" Ritsuka said. "And Seimei's not like that."

"I understand." Kio said as he lightly flicked Ritsuka's head.

"Don't be condescending!"

When I glanced at Soubi for the third time, I could finally see some sadness in his eyes. This made me guess Kio was telling the truth.

"All I did was answer your question, Ritsuka." Kio said. "And I'm not lying."

Everyone was silent. I watched Ritsuka's expression in the mirror. He looked as if he was ready to cry. He must have been taking this whole thing pretty hard. Sora pulled Ritsuka into a hug, which Ritsuka immediately leaned into. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

"Ritsuka." Kio said. "You look like you're about to cry."

Ritsuka turned to Kio. "Wh—w–who's crying?"

"I'm sorry but it's all true." Kio said calmly. "And you probably already knew it."

Ritsuka tensed at Kio's words.

Suddenly Kio smiled and patted Ritsuka's head. "I'm so glad you're not like Seimei. Now I get to like you! "

"Kio." Soubi spoke up, making me jump slightly. "Stop making a pass at Ritsuka."

I stifled a laugh at this.

"What?" Kio asked. "Are you jealous, Sou-chan?"

I rolled my eyes. It was good to have something to lighten the atmosphere a little. I smiled at Sora through the mirror. He saw me and smiled back.

"Rit-chan, do you want a chupa? I recommend pudding flavor." He held out two suckers with a goofy smile on his face. "You can have one to, Ora-chan."

"Ora-chan?" I asked as Sora took one of the suckers and put it in his mouth.

"Well, if I called him So-chan, it would be too close to my nickname for Sou-chan." Kio stated.

"Just don't make a pass at Sora." I said with a smirk. I saw Sora blush slightly with the sucker in his mouth. It was possibly the cutest thing I'd ever seen him do. I licked my lips and tried to shut out the images of Sora that began to appear in my head.

"I'll just say it straight out, Kio." Ritsuka said as he took the other sucker. "I love Seimei, no matter who hates him."

_**Ritsuka's P.O.V.**_

I got out of the car with the others at the rest stop to stretch my legs; it was cramped with the five of us in the car. Kio was walking towards the bathroom and turned to me.

"I'm going to the bathroom." He called to us.

"Just go." Riku replied as he stretched.

"What about you Rit-chan? Don't pee in your pants." Kio said kiddingly.

"Try not to get lost." I retorted with a sigh of annoyance.

Sora patted my head before leaning against one of the back doors as Riku leaned against the trunk. I turned to Soubi who remained in the car before opening the door and looking at him.

"Get out." I ordered and he looked at me a bit shocked.

"I'm out." He said once he got out of the car.

"About what he just said—" I started nervously.

Sora and Riku were watching the two of us intently. I knew Sora wanted to come and comfort me, but he knew he shouldn't get in the way.

"It's a lie." Soubi stated.

"He's your _friend_. And he's serious. Don't blow it off!" I said as I became angry. "You're a coward, Soubi! If you didn't want me to know, then why did you bring him?" I demanded angrily not caring that people turned to stare at us.

"Because Kio is stubborn." Soubi replied.

"Don't blame others!" I yelled.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Don't apologize! Do you want me to get mad?" I asked.

"He's already mad…" I heard Riku mutter.

I looked at the ground as I thought of what to do. Riku and Sora watched me as Soubi stood before me waiting for me to continue.

"Take of your clothes." I ordered calmly.

"Ritsuka." Sora said in surprise.

"Take off your clothes!" I demanded.

"…Here?" Soubi asked, slightly surprised.

"Here! Show me your body!" I ordered not caring that a mother and her daughter walked past as I said that.

"Ritsuka!" Sora said loudly.

"Let's not do that." Riku tried.

"All right." Soubi said with a chuckle.

I watched him as he began to take off his coat and closed my eyes as he took it off all the way. I forced my eyes open to watch him as he began to unbutton his shirt. Sora and Riku were watching this happen with wide eyes as Soubi followed my orders calmly. He let his let his shirt fall open as he watched me coolly and I had to fight the urge to look away from him.

His chest was covered in scars and cuts from what I guessed had to be Seimei's doing. I gulped as I looked his chest over at all of the injuries he had all over, marring his white skin. Sora and Riku were staring at Soubi in shock as they took in his injuries as well. I felt myself begin to blush despite how horrified I was as he took his shirt of completely. The bandages around his neck began to loosen revealing the thorny design that was etched into his neck to make the name _Beloved_.

"You wanted to see this, didn't you, Ritsuka?" He asked.

"That's…violence?" I asked unsurely.

"From Kio's point of view. But not to me." He replied. "This isn't violence. A name is a sign of ownership. It is a bond."

I heard Sora and Riku gasp as they took in the full extent of Soubi's injuries. Sora looked so shocked and horrified while Riku was just looking Soubi over with an emotionless expression.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

My eyes widened when Ritsuka ordered Soubi to undress, but at the same time I felt my face heat up when I saw Soubi comply. I watched as Soubi began to unbutton his shirt and felt my face flush as I got a look at his chest fully. He was quiet a handsome man I had to admit; my fascination turned to horror as I took in his chest fully as the shirt was taken off completely.

Scars and cuts littered his chest making it difficult to look at. I gasped; it took everything I had to keep myself from crying. I covered my mouth as it all sank in and stepped back right into Riku in shock and horror.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

I put my arms on Sora's shoulders to comfort him. Despite myself, my thoughts raced back to Ansem. His hands, his voice, his laugh. I may not have been scarred like Soubi was on the outside, but I could still feel Ansem's cold fingers crawling up and down my body. I squeezed Sora's shoulders. He shouldn't have to see this; the cruelty of the darkness. This Seimei guy, Ritsuka's brother, I immediately hated him. He had used Soubi as a toy, much like Ansem used me.

I couldn't help but think that if Soubi didn't have those scars, he'd be fairly handsome. Heck, he was handsome _with_ those scars. I stared at the name carved onto Soubi's neck: _Beloved_. An ironic name for someone like Seimei. It didn't suit him.

I felt Sora trembling beneath me. I wrapped my arms around him and held him close to me. _Innocence_, I thought. _It suits Sora perfectly…_

_**Ritsuka's P.O.V.**_

We all got back into the car quietly once Soubi pulled his shirt back on, but he didn't button it. I sat in the back with Soubi in utter silence. I looked out the window horrified as Sora awkwardly sat between me and Soubi. Riku had taken a seat in the front and was very quiet.

"Huh?" I heard Kio say as he approached the car. "What are you guys doing? Really?" He cried as he ran up to the car.

We all remained quiet as he reached the car. Sora seemed to shift uncomfortably next to me.

"Are you naked, Sou-chan? It's cold!" He cried before adding, "Look, don't do this, not here."

Riku sighed in the front seat and rested his head against the window as Sora shifted uncomfortably again.

"What are you four all sour about?" Kio asked confused.

"Ritsuka…is this enough?" Soubi asked as I heard him turn to look at me.

"Yes! Get dressed." I ordered as I continued to look away.

"Um…did you go crazy when I left? Huh?" Kio asked confused as he got into the first seat. "Huh?"

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

You could almost cut the tension in the car with a Keyblade. And Keyblades didn't cut. I stared out the window, watching the street lights fly by.

"So we just need to get to Gora, right?" Kio said to break the silence.

No one answered. I looked in the mirror and saw that Ritsuka was still facing away from Soubi. Soubi was watching him closely. Sora was playing with the good luck charm Kairi had given him; just turning it over in his hands.

"That's Seimei's name, isn't it." Kio said. I assumed he was talking about _Beloved_. "How can…you ever forgive someone who did that?"

I looked at Kio. For once, I was agreeing with him.

"Sou-chan is an idiot, so maybe that makes him happy." Kio continued. "But if someone carved me like a turkey, I'd hate him."

My mind flashed once again to Ansem. I shook my head and looked back out the window. Those were memories I did _not_ want surfacing ever again.

"So I'm an idiot?" Soubi asked as he turned his attention to Kio.

"Oh yes, you're an idiot!" Kio replied.

"I'm an idiot, too." Ritsuka mumbled.

"Ritsuka…" Sora said.

Ritsuka turned to Soubi. "You're an idiot and a masochist, Soubi, so you're only happy when things are being done to you! And Seimei is a sadist! Perfect match!" Ritsuka's voice sounded as if he was close to tears. He took a breath before continuing. "I'm an idiot for getting involved. But…"

Sora pulled Ritsuka into another hug. Ritsuka was one step closer to letting go of his brother. _Letting go…what if I had let go of Eyes? What would have happened to Sora and I? And Kairi? Let go…I can't let go…_

Ritsuka reached over Sora and started to button up Soubi's shirt. "You'll catch a cold." Was all he said. After he was done he rested his head on Sora. "But…I…I can never do anything like that for you."

We were quiet for a while after that. I watched the window again.

"…We're almost at Gora. What do you want to do?" Kio asked after a few minutes.

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**Shiro: **_I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's the second to last chapter for the Loveless world. What exactly did Ansem do to Riku? We'll leave that to your imagination ;p Please keep reading and reviewing! Seriously, if you guys don't start reviewing soon, we'll run out of inspiration for our chapters. Your reviews mean a lot to us!_


	15. Meeting

**Shiro:** _Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up. I was banned from my computer for a week. *sighs* Well, here's chapter 15. Because of that break we've become a little disorganized, so chapter 16 is in pieces right now. We'll get it sorted out and posted soon. I wrote Kairi's P.O.V. and Hachi wrote the rest. Enjoy!_

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_**Kousuke's P.O.V.**_

I hit the back of Kairi's neck when she let her guard down and caught her before she fell to the floor. I heard Rutherford from the phone and grabbed it before resting Kairi against mailboxes next to me.

"Rutherford?" I asked as I brought the phone to my ear.

"What happened?" Rutherford asked.

"I just knocked the girl out." I answered.

"Why?" Rutherford asked. I could hear a hint of anger in his voice.

"To get my phone back." I replied as I stood in front of the mailbox.

"Bring her to me." Rutherford ordered.

"What? I don't have time." I replied as I began to pick the lock again.

"Kousuke." He said in a threatening tone.

"Fine, if I have a chance I'll bring her to you." I replied as I got the lock picked.

"Good." He replied.

_So sorry, Little Narumi. The tape is mine_. I thought as I opened the mailbox.

"Huh?" I cried as dozens of tapes fell out of the mailbox. "What the hell?"

I heard a click as Rutherford hung and then the dial tone. I looked down at the tapes in confusion and unsure what to do.

"Aww, sorry about that!" I heard a voice say.

"Huh?" I asked as I looked up to see Little Narumi standing before me.

"Guess I forgot to mention I sent a bunch of dummy tapes to confuse you." He said with a smirk. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"Dummy tapes?" I asked confused.

"Unfortunately, my plan did have a slight miscalculation." Little Narumi said as he walked over to the pile.

"And what's that?" I asked as I watched him.

"Well, it turns out even I can't tell which one of them is the real tape." He said as he bent down to examine the pile.

"You serious?" I asked in disbelief.

"Man! This is one fine packaging job, if I do say so myself." He said as he picked one package up and looked at it.

"Why are you sitting there admiring them? Are you even trying to win?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. We're just gonna have to stay here and open each one until we find it." Little Narumi said as he looked at another one.

"Huh?" I asked in disbelief before sighing in despair.

_He's trying to act innocent, but he's cooking something up here. I know it._ I thought as I began looking.

"So what happened to Kairi?" He asked.

"She got in my way, so I took care of her." I replied as I tossed another one to the side.

"You can leave her at my place. Just don't mess up my house." He said.

"Can't do that. I've been given orders to bring her someplace." I replied.

"By Rio?" He asked.

"No." I said as I looked at another one.

"Rutherford." He stated.

"Yep. Don't worry, we won't harm her." I answered.

"I know that." He replied.

I heard the crinkling of paper lessen as Little Narumi's shadow disappeared from over the tapes. I looked up to see Little Narumi standing at the door with a smile on his face.

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"Y' shouldn't let your guard down. See ya!" He said as he held up the tape and left the building.

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open and ran after him.

I got outside and stared in shock as I found him on my bike. He looked at me and smiled as he pocketed the tape.

"Ready! Set! Gotta go!" He called as he began to ride off.

"No! Stop you thief!" I yelled after him.

I watched as he disappeared before sighing in disbelief. I pulled out my phone and dialed Rio's number. I heard the phone click after a few rings as she answered.

"Sorry Rio, but he got the tape." I waited for a reply but didn't get one so I asked, "Are you there?"

"You're so stupid, Kousuke." Rio answered.

I froze as she said this, but didn't argue back and waited for her to speak.

"Make your way to Shumari station now. There is still a chance that Hiyono's train will make it back in time before the bomb detonates." Rio ordered.

"Alright, but I have to stop at Rutherford's first." I replied.

"Why?" Rio asked.

"He wants me to drop Kairi off there." I answered.

"Do what you have to, Kousuke." She replied.

"What about the tape?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. The tape is coming to me." She replied.

"So, we have a chance. But Rio, be careful. In spite his life being on the line, he was smiling as if this game was nothing for him. He's either over-confident or downright stupid." I said.

"Of course, Kousuke. That's the Kiyotaka in him." Rio replied.

"So, you need backup?" I asked.

"I prefer it to be one on one at the very end. Besides… Little Narumi is already good as dead." She said before hanging up.

I sighed as I pocketed my phone and picking Kairi up. I walked out of the building and saw a bike resting nearby that I guess she had used to get here. I propped her onto the bike before climbing onto the front. I wrapped her arms around my waist and made sure she wouldn't fall off before slowly beginning to make my way to Rutherford's apartment.

When I arrived at the apartment I parked the bike before walking into the building with Kairi in my arms. I reached Rutherford's apartment and kicked at the door before waiting for him to answer. It didn't take him long to open the door and let me in. As I entered I noticed him glance at Kairi intently before turning and walking to look outside the window.

He nodded his head to the couch and I set her onto it before standing up straight and turning to him.

"I have to return to the game." I stated.

"Then go. I can handle her." He replied.

"Look Rutherford, something isn't normal about this girl. I'd be careful around her." I stated.

"How do you mean?" He asked.

"I don't know, but she summoned something that looked like a giant key." I replied.

"You sure you weren't seeing things?" He asked.

"I know what I saw! Also, I think her two friends are bad news." I said.

"Kousuke, leave." He ordered.

"Rutherford?" I asked confused.

"You said you had to get back to the game right? Get going." He ordered.

"Fine…" I replied before leaving the room.

As I left the building I looked up at where his room was. _Rutherford is hiding something from us, and it has to do with that Riku kid…_ I thought before turning and walking away.

_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

I opened my eyes slowly as the sound of piano music filled my head. It took me a moment to realize I was lying on a couch and staring at the ceiling of a building. I sat up and held my head. _Kousuke must have knocked me out, _I thought. I listened more closely to the music, thinking it was strangely familiar. _That's right_, I thought, _Riku played this piece one time for the school talent show._ I looked around to find the source of the music. My eyes froze on a silver-haired boy sitting at a piano. His back was to me. "Riku?" I asked hopefully.

The boy kept playing. I waited for him to finish the song. Finally, he turned to me with a blank expression on his face. I realized then that it wasn't Riku. His eyes were as blue as Sora's, only his pupils were slitted like a cat's.

"No…you're Eyes, aren't you?" I asked.

He nodded and stood up. He walked over to me and held out what looked like a photo. "I believe this is yours."

I took the photo. It was the one of Sora, Riku, and I on the beach. It was on the last day of summer break a year before…well, before our journey began.

Eyes sat down in a chair across from me. He was silent for a moment, as if contemplating what to say next. Finally his gaze met mine. His eyes were cold, yet somehow familiar. I realized he had the same stare that Riku had when he was serious. "How is he?" Was what he asked first.

"He's been through a lot. All of it to find you, according to what Sora told me."

"He's been looking for me?"

I nodded, "Riku misses you. He wants you home, and so does your mother."

He looked away from me, "Like I said, I left to protect him…and our mother."

"Why would you have to leave to protect them?"

He looked back at me, "Because…I am one of the Blade Children."

"I don't understand what that means."

He sighed, "I am a danger to Riku and everyone else around me. Or at least, I will be. We Blade Children are cursed. I care about Riku too much. If I had stayed…I might have killed him."

I gasped. "Killed him?"

He paused. I assumed he was debating weather or not he could tell me. "When Blade Children reach adulthood, we turn into killing machines. We can no longer discern our targets from our friends. We become monsters."

We sat in silence for a few moments. His eyes stared coolly into mine. I finally had to ask the question weighing on my mind, "Is Riku…is he?"

"No." He closed his eyes. "Riku is not one of us; we are only half-brothers. We share the same mother, but we have different fathers."

I sighed, relieved.

"You said you got separated from Riku and Sora on your way here." Eyes said. "What happened?"

I explained to him about the Gummi Ship, and about how Sora and Riku fell out accidentally. Seeing concern in his eyes, I assured him that the ship was on its way to whatever world they landed on and should be getting back soon. His expression returned to its normal, emotionless state. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" He asked, somewhat irritated.

"You and Riku have the same look on your face when you're serious." I smiled at him.

He looked away from me. I thought I saw a faint smile on his lips, but I might have just imagined it. "Can I ask you something, Eyes?"

"Sure." He said without looking at me.

"When Riku and Sora get here…are you going to go home with us?"

He didn't answer right away. "No. I can't go back to the islands."

"What if we find a way to stop you from becoming a monster?"

He finally looked at me. "That's impossible."

"Then why are you guys so interested in Ayumu?"

He looked surprised for a second before returning to normal, "How did you…"

"Ayumu has the power to help the Blade Children, doesn't he? That's why you guys are testing him like this."

He didn't answer.

"Riku has grown very strong these past few years. He battled the darkness and won. Not on his own, but with help from his friends. Especially Sora. If Riku can overcome the darkness, then so can you. And Ayumu is the friend who can help you." I paused. "And so am I."

He stood up and walked over to the wall of the room made completely out of glass, giving us a beautiful view of the city. He stared out the window for a few minutes before answering me. "Kairi…I never wanted Riku to be caught up in all of this. That's why I left. But now it seems he's going to be involved no matter what I do. When he arrives in this world," he turned to me, "bring him to me."

I smiled and nodded, "You bet! Oh, and that song you were playing just now. I've heard Riku play it before."

"Riku can play the piano?"

I nodded.

Eyes turned back to the window. I could see a small smile from his reflection, "So much like me…yet so different…" I heard him mutter. I heard a cellphone ring; I immediately checked if it was mine. It wasn't. I saw Eyes pull a phone out of his pocket. "Yes?" He said when he put it up to his ear. There was a pause. After a minute or so he hung up the phone and turned to me, "It seems Little Narumi won the game."

I smiled brightly, "That's great!"

"You're free to go." He said and returned to his piano. Before I could say anymore, he started playing that same song from before. I smiled and turned to walk out of the room.

Once I got outside, I found the bicycle I borrowed from Zack. _Oh yeah, I need to return this._ I thought. I got on the bike and headed for the shop I last saw Zack and his crimson-eyed companion.

It didn't take long to find them. They were standing by the pole the bike was resting on before. The crimson-eyed man was looking somewhat irritated as Zack talked to him.

"Hey!" I called as I reached them.

"There you are, Kairi." Zack smiled at me, "We were getting worried."

"We?" Crimson-Eye stated in a deep voice.

"Don't be so cold, Vin-rin!" Zack turned to the man.

"Vin-rin?" I asked. It seemed like a silly name. It reminded me of the nicknames Fai gave to Kurogane.

"My name is Vincent Valentine." The other man said.

"Oh, now I remember!" I said, "You're head of the theatre department at the school, aren't you?"

"That's right." Vincent answered.

"What are you two doing together?" I asked curiously.

Vincent blushed and looked away.

"If you must know, we're on a date." Zack said with a wink.

"Zack." Vincent said in a growl. He gave Zack a look that made me shiver.

Zack wasn't fazed by the death glare. "What? You want me to lie to her?"

Vincent sighed.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." I turned to leave, "See you at school!" I shouted as I ran away.

"Nice meeting you, Kairi!" I heard Zack call after me. I smiled and kept running. Sakura had to have been worried sick about me, and I couldn't keep her waiting any longer.

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_**Hachi:**_** It's getting fun.**

**Shiro:** _You said it, Hachi Sensei! Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Recently I've been somewhat obsessed with Zack x Vincent. Who would the seme be in that relationship? Please keep reading and reviewing!_


	16. Leaving and Revealing

Shiro: _Hey everyone. Just a little warning, this chapter gets pretty serious. We're going to keep the rating T, but I figured I'd put a warning anyway. Especially since I'm not sure if it would be considered enough to be M. Well, please enjoy it anyway. I wrote Riku's P.O.V. and Hachi wrote the rest. I just watched the Japanese live action movie Boys Love. It's so sad, and there's a quote in it that I really liked. It went something like, "When two people cry together for the first time, they realize how much they love each other."_

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_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

We soon arrived at a dull looking building surrounded by a forest; there was a small lake next to it. The sign outside said, "Seven Voices Academy". There were big glass doors that led into the lobby.

We all got out of Soubi's car, I was glad to get out of that tense atmosphere, and headed for the doors. Before we reached them, I heard a small noise that sounded like a kitten. I turned around, and sure enough there was a small black kitten walking up to us.

"It's a cat." Ritsuka said, tilting his head. "It's kind of cute." He smiled and walked up to it.

"Yeah, it is cute!" Sora smiled, too.

I watched Ritsuka lean down to pet it. Something about that cat seemed wrong. When I got a better look at it, I noticed it had giant yellow eyes and…the Heartless symbol on its head! "Stop!" I yelled and pushed Ritsuka away from the creature, summoning my Keyblade at the same time. I swiped at the small Heartless and destroyed it in the first swing. It faded into darkness, and a small glowing heart floated up into the air and disappeared.

"That was a Heartless!" Sora ran over to Ritsuka. "Are you okay?" Before Ritsuka could answer, about a dozen or more of the same kind of Heartless morphed out of the shadows and surrounded us. Sora summoned his Keyblade and stepped in front of Ritsuka.

"Now we'll show you how _we _fight!" I shouted and lunged at the Heartless surrounding us. With every swipe of my Keyblade I took out at least three of them. They were fairly weak, but every time I turned around there were even more of them. _Great._ I thought. _These are the kind of Heartless that are weak, but attack us in insane amount of numbers._

"Everyone, get inside! Riku and I will handle these pests!" Sora said to the others.

"But…Sora–" Ritsuka tried to protest.

Sora turned to Ritsuka and gave him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry Ritsuka, we'll be okay. The important thing is that _you_ don't get hurt."

Ritsuka looked at him for a second, and then nodded. He turned to Soubi and Kio, "Let's go." The three of them ran inside the school, leaving Sora and I to deal with the Heartless.

After several minutes of fighting, Sora and I found ourselves standing back to back. It didn't look like their numbers were dwindling at all. I was panting. We had to end this soon. Sora looked at me, "Riku, Eternal Session."

I nodded and we both jumped at the Heartless. I shouted, "Out of my way!" as we slashed through their first wave with powerful aerial combo attacks. Sora and I glided past each other as I said, "Is that all you got?" We targeted specific Heartless with our Last Saber attack this time, each taking out at least ten Heartless. We then jumped back and hit a group of them with our Dark Cannon attack, sending dark fire spheres shooting at them. We alternated these two attacks a few times before gliding past each other once again. "I'll take 'em." I said as mine and Sora's Keyblades began to glow. We circled each other swinging our Keyblades that now, because of their glow, looked like actual blades. This was our Master Hearts attack. We stood back to back again and I raised my hand up above my head. Thirteen glowing blades materialized above us, then circled us as we kept attacking the Heartless. This attack was XIII Blades.

"Give me strength!" Sora shouted as we threw our Keyblades into the air for our final attack: All's End.

"You're gonna loose it all!" I shouted at the same time. A sphere of light formed around Sora's Keyblade as a sphere of darkness surrounded mine. The spheres pulled all the surrounding Heartless into them and tossed them around like old rags. The orbs glowed brighter until they both burst, releasing our Keyblades.

"Riku!" Sora shouted as we grabbed our Keyblades from the air.

"Time's up." I smirked and turned to Sora. We bumped knuckles and turned back away from each other to make sure there were no Heartless left. Fortunately, they were all gone.

Sora turned back to me. "Glad that's over," he said with a smile.

"No kidding." I pulled Sora close to me and kissed him fully on the lips. It was just a quick kiss, and I pulled away after a second.

Sora blushed in my arms. "What was that for?"

"To make sure you're okay, of course."

Sora rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Riku." He lightly kissed my cheek and stepped away from me. He glanced behind me and gasped. "Riku!" He pointed behind me.

I quickly turned and saw even more cat Heartless coming out of the ground. These ones were larger and fiercer looking than the ones before. "Dammit." I said and raised my Keyblade in my fighting stance. It was then that I noticed something in the sky. A shooting star? No, it was heading straight for us. "The Gummi Ship!" I said.

Sora turned to where I was looking. "Now?" He seemed to ask more to himself than to me. He then turned to the doors of the school. Ritsuka was looking out at us with worried eyes.

As the ship landed close by, I grabbed Sora's arm and pulled him toward the ship. "C'mon, it's time to leave!"

"But, Ritsuka–"

"Ritsuka will be fine!" I slashed through a few Heartless as I ran to the ship.

_**Ritsuka's P.O.V.**_

I watched as Sora and Riku fought those creatures, Heartless I believe they called them, from the safety of the school. I watched as they did a combination attack that wiped out most of them. Riku pulled Sora in for a kiss and they talked for a little bit before they found yet more Heartless surrounding them; this time they looked a little different.

Riku looked up as a light, similar to a shooting star, came towards them. I looked closer to see that it was a ship of some sort, and I soon realized that it was there to take them away from this world. I watched as Riku and Sora started talking. I watched worriedly as Sora turned to look at the school, or to be more exact, at me.

I clutched something in my hand as Riku pulled him towards the ship after saying something to him. I watched as Sora was dragged into the ship and as the door to it closed. I looked down sadly to see the item I clutched in my hand.

It was a star shaped charm Sora had made for me when he first got here out of poster paper. The borders were silver but the inside of the star was purple and in the middle was a butterfly connector and he had tied the star together using string. He also put it onto a chain so I could wear it when I wanted to. I remember the day he had given me the charm like it was only yesterday.

**~Earlier that week~**

_I came home from school and grabbed a small snack and said hello to mother before going up to my room. I saw Sora sitting on the floor at the foot of my bed where he would be hidden working on something. I noticed he seemed to be using a lot of effort for whatever he was doing because he seemed to not notice me enter. _

_I sat down at my desk and began to do my homework as he worked on his task. I heard the floorboard squeak as he stood and walked over to me. I turned to him to see him smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back at him, his smile was contagious. _

"_How was school?" He asked quietly._

"_It was the same as usual." I answered._

"_Ah…Hey Ritsuka?" He asked._

"_Yeah?" I asked._

"_I want to give you something." He replied._

"_Why?" I asked._

"_Because you've helped me out, and I think of you as a brother and a good friend." He answered._

"_You think of me as a brother?" I asked._

"_Yeah! So can I give you something?" He asked._

"_Sure." I agreed a bit surprised._

_Sora brought the item from behind his back and handed it to me. I looked it over before looking up at him in confusion._

"_Where I come from there is this star__-shaped fruit, and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You will always find your way back to each other." Sora answered._

"_I don't really believe in legends." I stated._

"_It's not a legend. I got separated from my friends and I was able to find my way back to them because I had a Wayfinder." Sora stated._

"_Wayfinder?" Ritsuka asked._

"_It's what the charm is called." Sora answered._

"_So you have one?" Ritsuka asked._

"_Yep, but I didn't get my own until I was reunited with my friends." Sora said as he pulled his out, it was star shaped like mine except made out of pink shells and tied with string._

"_Huh?" I asked._

"_My friend Kairi gave me the one she made for herself so she knew I'd be able to find my way back." Sora answered._

"_I still…" I started._

"_Just take it, as a promise that we'll always be friends." Sora said with a smile._

"_All right." I agreed as I looked at the charm._

"_The charms are supposed to be made out of shells like mine, but I believe it'll work if you make it from your heart." He stated._

"_Thanks." I said happily._

"_You're welcome." He replied._

_**~Present Time~**_

I looked up to see Sora looking out of the ship as it began to leave. I waved to him holding the charm and he smiled sadly and waved back to me his own charm in his hand. I watched as the ship began to move away from us but I didn't start to cry until it fully disappeared from view. I knew that even though they were leaving, Sora would return one day.

I took a deep breath before turning to walk into the school with Soubi and Kio. Soubi looked at me worriedly but I shook my head and gave a small smile to show that I was okay.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I glared out the window of the Gummi ship as Riku sat in the chair next to me, the ship being on autopilot. I saw Riku glance over at me several times through his reflection in the window, but refused to look at him.

"Sora…" Riku started to say.

"Why'd you make me leave?" I yelled angrily as I cut Riku off.

"We had to leave!" Riku yelled back as I turned to glare at him.

"Why?" I yelled as I stood and glared down at him.

"We have to find Eyes!" Riku yelled at me as he stood too.

"Eyes this! Eyes that! That's all you care about!" I shouted.

"He's my brother! What do you think I'm supposed to do! He's my brother damn it!" Riku shouted back.

"You're so damn selfish!" I cried at him angrily.

"How am I so damn selfish?" Riku cried back.

"You left Ritsuka behind! This isn't the first time you've been selfish!" I yelled angrily.

"What other times have I been selfish?" He asked angrily as he glared more.

"The time Destiny Islands was destroyed! You were so damn into finding Eyes that you didn't give a damn about the consequences!" I yelled angrily as I glared back.

"I was worried about you and Kairi, too!" Riku yelled.

"You never worried about me or Kairi! You always worried about eyes! So much that you'd sell yourself to Ansem for power!" I screamed at him.

"You think I wanted that?" Riku screamed back.

"Yeah, I do!" I yelled as anger took over.

"You think I wanted to be molested and nearly raped by that lunatic?" Riku screamed angrily.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

It took me a moment, and the look on Sora's face, to realize what I had just said. I was never going to tell anyone, not even Sora, what I had gone through because of _him_.

"…What?" Sora asked. He was frozen by my words.

"Nothing…" I looked away, hoping he would forget I mentioned it.

"Riku, tell me! Now!" He ordered.

A vision of Ansem appeared in my head. I closed my eyes and tried to block it out. "I…when Ansem…first took my body…he…" Another memory surfaced in a flash. "…no, before that…"

"What? He what?" Sora asked in a worried tone.

"He manifested himself from Darkness…and…he…well, he…" I tried to talk, but I couldn't find the words. Every time I tried to describe it, I kept reliving the memories.

"He what?" Sora sounded scared now.

"He molested me…he'd restrain me with darkness and then he'd…" I rested my head against the wall and kept my gaze away from Sora. I felt it. I felt those dark ribbons encircling my body; holding my arms and legs still so that I couldn't break free.

"Yes?" Sora urged me to continue.

"He undressed me…kissed me…he even sucked me to release… And he also…" I blinked back tears as I saw him over me. Ripping my clothes off. His hands wandering over my body and him saying it was _perfect_. I felt his cold lips once again crush against my own, stealing my first kiss away from me. I had told Sora that he was my first kiss, and I wanted so much for that to be true. Then finally his tongue would inch down my body from my neck to my waist. He would take all of me inside his mouth. It felt good, that dark pleasure. I hated it.

"He…what?" I could hear Sora's tears in his voice.

"He…forced me…to…" I couldn't hold back my tears as I pictured Ansem standing next to me completely naked.

"To what?" Sora was determined to get this story out of me.

"To…gi–give him…head…" my voice betrayed me as it became harder to hold back my tears. "He raped…my throat…" I could still taste him. I could still feel him thrusting into my mouth, nearly choking me. I could still taste his seed as it filled my mouth and he commanded me to swallow it. My tears flowed freely then. He would pull out and kiss me again.

"Did he ever…" Sora let his question remain incomplete.

"No…he never…raped me." I wiped away my tears and felt Sora's hand on my shoulder. It comforted me.

"Riku…"

"He said…I wasn't ready. That he was…going to wait…until I was older." I let a sob escape despite my trying to hold it back. I imagined what would have happened if I hadn't escaped him. _I wouldn't have had my ears back there…_

Sora pulled me into a hug and rested his head on my chest. "It's okay, Riku. He's gone…Ansem's gone. He'll never hurt you again." I could feel Sora's tears through my shirt. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. He was right; Ansem was dead. I had defeated him. Now, Sora was mine to hold and to love. I pulled away and looked at him. I gestured to the bedroom on the ship. It was late and we were both exhausted. He nodded and I lead him inside.

"Sora," I said as I sat on the bed. I patted the spot next to me. He blushed slightly and sat next to me. I looked away from him before continuing. "Whenever he would do that to me…"

"You don't have to tell me any more." He slid his hand into mine.

"No." I looked into his eyes. "I want you to hear this." Some strength returned to my voice, which I was glad of.

"All right." He agreed.

"Whenever he…would do that to me. I could only think about you. I hoped…you would save me. I almost gave in completely…because I thought you'd never come."

"Riku! You know I'd never leave you!"

"I'm not finished."

"Sorry…"

I took a deep breath. "I almost gave in to him, but then you did save me. Thank you, and…I'm sorry." I rested my head on Sora's shoulder.

"What are you sorry for?" He asked.

"For being selfish. And for making you leave Ritsuka…"

"Riku, you aren't selfish…I only said that because I was mad."

"Still, I'm sorry." I said.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

"It's okay. It's just Ritsuka…" I started.

"What about him?" Riku asked.

"Nothing…" I tried.

"Sora. I told you what Ansem did to me. Now you tell me about Ritsuka." Riku ordered.

"His mother…" I started.

"His mother what?" I pried.

"You remember the day you called? Before we were reunited?" I asked.

"Yes?" Riku replied.

"Well, you know I had to hang up right?" I asked.

"Yes. I heard yelling and I was worried." Riku replied.

"Ritsuka hid me in his closet and his mother burst in." I said.

"And?" Riku asked worried.

"She…" I started before I began sobbing.

"She what?" Riku asked worriedly as he shook me slightly.

"She beat him…hit him…kicked him…threw books…" I sobbed out.

"Sora…" Riku said with a small gasp.

"I promised I wouldn't leave him…" I cried into Riku's shoulder.

"I promise, Sora, that as soon as we find Eyes and we head for home we'll go get Ritsuka." Riku said.

"Really?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, really. I promise you that Sora, so please don't be mad or worried." Riku said.

"All right, it's a promise." I agreed.

"Good." Riku leaned in and kissed me before pulling away.

Riku leaned down on the bed, pulling me down with him. He pulled me in close to him. We both closed are eyes as the exhaustion of what happened came to us both and we fell asleep in each other's arms.

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**Shiro: **_Well, there's the chapter. I hope you all liked it. Sora and Riku are closer than ever, and now they're about to face their toughest challenges yet: The Blade Children. Please keep reading and reviewing! ^-^_


	17. Into the Spiral

**Shiro:** _Hey, sorry it took so long to get this up. Now that everyone's in the same world, things will really start getting interesting. This chapter's a little break from all the action. I wrote Eyes' and Riku's P.O.V.s and Hachi wrote the rest. It's funny, the title "Into the Spiral" was something I planned on using for chapter 4 before we added the Loveless world. Now it's 17.  
_

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_**Eyes' P.O.V.**_

"So Rutherford, you gonna tell me who exactly this Riku kid is?" Kousuke asked after I placed the melon I got for Rio on the table next to her hospital bed. I knew he was going to ask, but I wasn't expecting it this soon. I hadn't told any of the others about my brother. I hadn't told anyone in this world about him, not even Kanone. If what Kairi said was true, and Riku and Sora were soon going to be in this world as well, then sooner or later the others would find out.

I turned to Kousuke when I decided on what to say. "Riku is my little brother. We share the same mother, but he had a different father."

"So, he's not one of us then?"

"No. And that was why I left him." I looked at the sky through the window. "I left the islands to protect him from our fate."

Kousuke was quiet. Eventually he sighed and turned to the window as well. "It seems like he's going to be caught up in this mess no matter what you do."

I was silent. That was exactly what I was afraid of. I didn't want Riku involved at all. What's worse was Sora would be involved as well, and he was even more innocent and naïve than Riku. It would be my fault if anything happened to them.

"By the way, that Kairi girl…" Kousuke turned to me. "Who exactly is she?"

"She is a friend of Riku's." I said simply.

"I knew that much," he said in an annoyed tone, "but what about that key-looking-thing?"

"I don't know." I turned toward the door to leave.

"Hey, Rutherford–"

"If you're so curious about her, ask her yourself." I said as I left. _Riku..._ I thought. _Even if you do come here, I can't go home. I'll never be able to return to Destiny Islands._

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

It was raining when we got to the world my brother was supposed to be on. There were no umbrellas on the ship, so we had to run into town to try to find a dry place to stop and figure out what to do next. We were able to stop and catch our breath under the sunshade of a small outdoor café. Obviously, no one was eating there at the moment. It was then that I realized how cold it was. I was back in my own clothes, so my arms were bare. I figured it must have been winter in the world we were in. We needed umbrellas and coats before we did anything else.

"Riku, look!" Sora said excitedly as he pointed to the shops across the street. I looked to where he was pointing and saw that all the trees had lights woven in the branches and there were signs everywhere that read _Merry Christmas_. No wonder it was so cold. Sora turned to me with a big grin on his face. "It's Christmas time!"

I couldn't help but smile. Sora loved Christmas; it was his favorite holiday. "Guess that means we need to get each other presents."

Sora gasped and his expression turned serious. "You're right! We don't have a lot of time! Okay, let's split up and meet back here in an hour with presents. Go!" Sora ran off toward the other shops in town.

"Sora, wait!" I tried to shout, but he was already gone. I sighed. Sora always got like this around Christmas. I took out my Munny pouch and opened it up. I had several thousand Munny from collecting it from Heartless and Nobodies, but I didn't know if this world even knew what Munny was. I sighed and started walking down the street. Looking through the shop windows I passed, I found out I was right. The currency in this world was called _yen_. "Where's a moogle when you need one?" I asked myself.

"Excuse me, but don't you have an umbrella?" I heard someone ask me. I turned to see a man with short blond hair and blue eyes smiling at me. There was another man next to him with short black hair and a bored expression on his face.

"Um…no." I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Well now, that won't do. Take mine." He offered me the umbrella he was holding.

"What about you?" I asked.

"Oh, I'll be fine. I'll just share with Kuro-koi." He smiled at the other man.

"Would you stop it with those stupid nicknames?" The black haired man glared at the blond one.

"Nope." He answered with a smile before turning to me. "Here, take it. Don't worry about me."

I took the umbrella. "Thank you, um…"

"Fai. Fai D. Flourite." He said with a slight bow.

"Thank you, Fai. I'm Riku." I smiled slightly.

Both of them looked at me strangely for a second. But then Fai's smile returned. "Well, it's nice to meet you Riku. Kuro-tan, I believe we had somewhere to be."

"Yeah." He said with another glance at me. Fai waved goodbye and left with his friend whom I knew part of his name must have been "Kuro".

_Well, that solves one problem._ I thought as I turned to keep walking down the street. _Now I just need to find a way to get Sora a gift._

After walking past at least a dozen shops, I still didn't know where Sora was or what I was going to do. That was when I thought I hear someone call my name. I turned in the direction I thought it came from and nearly gasped. Across the street was a red-headed girl with bright blue eyes. Kairi. She had a big smile on her face and ran across the street to get to me, after looking both ways of course.

"Riku! You're here!" She said as she hugged me tight. "And you're soaking wet."

I chuckled, "Sorry."

She looked around me and her smile faded. "Where's Sora?"

"You know Sora. As soon as he found out it was Christmas time he ran off to buy presents."

Kairi rolled her eyes, "Yeah, that sounds like Sora. By the way, when did you get here?"

"Actually, not that long ago. Sorry about the wait."

She shook her head. "The good thing is that you and Sora got here safely."

"Yeah. Oh, by the way I'm supposed to be buying Sora a present right now, but…"

Kairi laughed, "Don't worry; I have enough yen on me that we can both buy him something."

I smiled at her. "Then lead the way."

She nodded and I followed her down the street.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I ran down the street as soon as I realized it was close to Christmas. I had to find something for Riku and fast! I ran down the street looking at a few of the stores that I'd past and stopped at one to look in the window. As I stopped I shivered as I realized I had no coat on and it was pouring down rain. I shivered and wrapped my hands around me as I got under the cover of the shop.

I opened the door and walked inside as I shivered violently. I walked through the shop and could feel a few people give me weird looks as I walked by them. I stopped at a rack and looked over it but sighed as I saw nothing Riku would like. As I turned to continue looking I felt someone tap my shoulder.

I turned around to see a girl about my age with light brown hair braided into two pony tails with green ribbons in front of her shoulders and reddish-brown eyes. She wore light black mini skirt with a single white line running around it. Over it she wore a red school jacket with white pocket covers and the ends of her sleeves were white with a black stripe on them and her collar was also white with a black line. She had a black necktie with the very bottom being a strip of white and at the top was a gold colored clasp with her school and class on it.

"Uh…yes?" I asked confused.

"Why don't you have a jacket or an umbrella?" She inquired.

"Uh…I forgot to grab them when I left my house." I said.

"Really? Your clothes look pretty weird." She added as she looked me over.

"Custom design." I replied.

"Where did you have them made?" She asked.

"My…great-aunts made them." I answered.

"What are your aunt's names?" She asked.

"Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather." I answered.

"Never heard of them." She replied.

"Were you supposed to?" I asked confused.

"My information network is very vast, and I would have known of someone as peculiar as you." She stated.

"I, uh…" I started.

"Hiyono, stop being a pest." A boy's voice said.

I looked behind her as a boy about my age walked up to us. He had spiky brown hair, not as spiky as mine, with long sideburns and brown eyes. He wore a white t-shirt underneath a blue school jacket with a black pocket cover and a gold patch with his school and class on it. He also wore pants that were the same shade of blue as his school jacket. His left ear was pierced and had a silver plate on it.

"But Ayumu! He's weird looking!" The girl, Hiyono, replied.

"Don't call someone weird." The boy, Ayumu, stated.

"Umm…excuse me?" I asked confused.

"Yes?" Ayumu asked.

"Who are you guys? And why were you asking me such questions?" I asked them.

"I'm Ayumu Narumi." The boy said bored.

"I'm Hiyono Yuizaki! A world class journalist!" The girl greeted.

"All right…and why were you questioning me?" I asked.

"You look out of place here, and I was curious." She replied.

"Umm…all right…" I said.

"What's your name?" Ayumu asked.

"Sora Kaze." I replied.

"Where are you from?" Hiyono asked.

"A town in the country." I replied.

"What town?" Hiyono asked.

"You wouldn't have heard of it." I replied.

"Whatever you say." Hiyono said as she finally let up.  
"So what are you doing out here like that?" Ayumu asked.

"Looking for a present for Riku." I replied.

"Riku?" Hiyono asked.

"Yeah, he's my best friend!" I replied with a huge smile.

"Ahh…well I'm leaving." Ayumu replied.

"Huh?" I asked.

"I have thing I need to do, nice meeting you." Ayumu stated as he left.

Hiyono looked between me and Ayumu before running after the boy and calling behind her.

"Bye, Sora!" She yelled.

I shook my head and went over to another area of the store and found the perfect gift for Riku. I looked at the price and froze as I noticed the currency was not Munny. I sighed as I looked at it sadly.

"You okay?" A female voice asked from behind me.

I turned to see a young woman, in her early twenties I'd guess, standing behind me. She wore her blonde hair tied up at the back, held with a silver comb accessory, and has two long fringes of hair framing either side of her face. She had a light brown jacket over an orange zippered vest that extends to just above her hips, which also features a low fold-over collar rimmed with gold. Over her arms she has dark brown arm warmers with brown gloves. She also donned a long orange skirt that has pockets with a silver waistband with black pants, a brown belt, and black shoes.

"Yes…" I replied confused.

"You just look so lost…" She trailed off as she looked me over.

"I am a bit…" I replied.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Sora Kaze." I replied.

"Sora Kaze? Did King Mickey send you?" She asked.

"You know the King?" I asked excitedly.

"Oh, thank goodness I was able to find you! I'm Quistis Trepe." She replied.

"Nice to meet you." I greeted.

"Zack!" She called over her shoulder.

"What?" A male's voice asked.

A man came over to the two of us; he looked to be in his mid twenties. He had spiky black hair that spiked backwards, kind of like Axel's, and blue eyes. He wore a black leather jacket over a blue sleeveless blue stripped sweater, baggy blue jeans with black boots and black gloves. I also noticed he had a scar on his cheek in the shape of an "x".

"I found Sora." Quistis replied.

"So, you're Sora?" Zack asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"Nice to meet you I'm Zack Fair. Where's Riku?" Zack asked.

"I ran off from him to look for his Christmas present." I replied.

"You're just a whole lot of trouble." Zack said teasingly.

"Kind of reminds me of an old friend." Quistis reminisced.

"Same, a certain spiky blond haired guy." Zack said.

"I was thinking more of Squall then Cloud." Quistis said.

"You know Leon and Cloud?" I asked.

"I grew up with Squall." Quistis replied.

"I met Cloud when we were in our teens." Zack added.

"So what did you want to get Riku?" Quistis asked.

"This." I replied as I pointed to the item.

"Why don't you buy it?" Zack asked.

"I only have Munny." I replied.

"Here." Zack said after looking at the price.

He handed me a couple of bills that was enough for the item. I smiled and paid for it quickly and then we went outside. I put the present in my pouch as I shivered though I soon felt something block out the cold.

I looked at my shoulders to see Zack's jacket on them. I looked at him confused and he just smiled back.

"I can't take this." I said.

"You can and you will. I can handle the cold." Zack replied.

I nodded and noticed that I was also dry from the rain and looked up to see Quistis holding an umbrella over my head and hers. Zack also had an umbrella open and covering him.

"Let's find Riku." She said with a smile.

"All right!" I replied happily.

We began to walk down the street in search of my silver haired boyfriend.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

Kairi and I had been walking around for at least half an hour. We still hadn't found anything that I could get Sora. Kairi picked up a little stuffed star that looked shockingly similar to a Paopu for him. It wasn't until we came into a small store selling random knickknacks that I found what I wanted to get for Sora. Kairi paid for it and we were just about to leave when something else caught my eye.

"What is it, Riku?" Kairi asked as she walked over to me.

"This." I pointed to a circular locket with a piano carved on the front. "I want to get it for Eyes."

Kairi picked it up and smiled. "I'm sure he'll love it." She went over to the counter to pay for it. I had the perfect picture to put inside it. It was one of the few pictures of Eyes I had left. And possibly the only one of him smiling. It was my 3rd birthday. It was the last birthday that Eyes, my mom, my dad, and I spent together. It was soon after that my dad died. It was some new illness or something, I couldn't remember. It didn't matter much anymore. Kairi came back over to me and handed me two boxes. One had Sora's present and the other had the one for Eyes. "When we find Sora, I have so much I have to tell you two. Let's get going."

"Yeah." I smiled at her and we left the shop.

We ended up in front of a giant Christmas tree that seemed to be in the middle of town. It seemed like a good place to take a break since we both knew Sora would be drawn to it like someone cast Magnet on it. It was still raining, so we couldn't sit down anywhere. Well, I could since I was still a little wet. It didn't take long before we found my blue eyed boyfriend, or rather he found us.

"Riku!" I got a brief warning before I was tackle-hugged by the boy in question, almost knocking me over. He let me go when he saw Kairi. "Kairi! You're okay!"

Kairi nodded and hugged him. "I'm glad you both made it here in one piece." She beamed at him.

"Hey, Kairi!" A male voice called from behind Sora. I looked to see a man with spiky black hair and blue eyes walking over to us with a wide grin. "You found the other one, huh?"

"Hi, Zack. Thanks for watching Sora. He goes a little crazy around Christmas."

"Hey!" Sora faked a glare at Kairi which made her giggle.

Behind Zack was a woman with blond hair. "So you must be Riku." She said when she saw me.

"Yeah, and you are?" I asked.

"Quistis. Quistis Trepe. King Mickey asked us to keep an eye on you two when you got here."

"Wait a minute." Kairi said, looking at Zack. "You know the King?"

"That's what I asked." Sora said as he put his hands behind his head. I moved closer to him to keep him under my umbrella since he didn't have one.

"Did I forget to mention that?" Zack asked. He looked away and scratched his cheek. I noticed there was an "x" shaped scar on one.

"Hey, why don't we get inside somewhere? It's starting to rain harder." Quistis suggested.

"Works for me." I said. "Besides, we have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yeah." Kairi said. We all started walking in the direction of the nearest restaurant.

Kairi started with her story after we all ordered something to eat. When she got to the part where a stuffed cat turned out to be a bomb, Sora and I gave a simultaneous, "What?"

"It's okay. I wasn't hurt. But Rio had to go to the hospital." Kairi said. "But, it was all on purpose because she wanted to hide the fact that she was a Blade Child."

"What's a 'Blade Child'?" I asked.

"I'll get to that later." Kairi dismissed me with her hand. "Anyway–"

"Oh!" Sora snapped his fingers. "Now I remember."

"Remember what?" I looked at him questioningly.

"Ayumu and Hiyono. I met them in a shop."

"Really?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah. Hiyono kept asking these weird questions…"

"Yeah, that's Hiyono." Kairi said before continuing with the rest of her story. I was surprised at how much she had gone through without us. She seemed unscathed by it, too. I started to drift out of the conversation until I heard her say a certain name. "…said they would know something about Eyes." My attention was drawn immediately back to her. "So I went with Ayumu and Hiyono to the hospital…" She told us about Rio's game with the bitter water and volunteering to get caught to get a chance to locate my brother. I was amazed that she would go to such lengths, possibly risk her life, just so she could help me find my brother. She was a great friend.

"…and so I pulled out my Keyblade and demanded him to give me his cellphone!" Our food had arrived by the time she got to this part of the story, but we paid little attention to it. "So, I called Eyes."

"You got to talk to him?" My eyes went wide.

"Even better." Kairi smiled. "I got to meet him."

I didn't know what to say. I had just gotten to the world and already I knew where my brother was. It was perfect. Too perfect. "Eyes…" I looked at my food.

"What about you two?" Zack said through a mouthful of food.

"Swallow." Quistis said without looking at him.

Zack obeyed. "What have you been up to?"

Sora and I looked at each other. I knew we were both thinking the same thing. _Should we tell them we're together?_

Sora started. He told them about Ritsuka and how in his world we had cat ears and tails. He left out Ritsuka's mom beating him, which I could understand why. When he got to the part where we met, he began to trail off.

That's when I took over. I told them about Soubi, Kio, Natsuo, and Youji. I told them about how we went to the park to take pictures; that's when I trailed off. I had no idea how to tell them about our kiss. I looked at Sora; he was looking at me.

"What is it?" Kairi asked with her head tilted.

"Well…" I began. "Then Sora and I… I wanted to talk with him alone, so... we went to a place away from the others…" I couldn't seem to spit it out.

Sora was blushing. I think he forgot how to talk in that moment.

"Wait…" Kairi was looking from me to Sora and back. "You two…did you?"

Sora grabbed my hand. At least he remembered how to move.

"Aww, looks like we have a couple of love birds!" Zack clapped his hands together.

Quistis giggled.

Sora turned as red as Axel's hair.

I couldn't look at Kairi in the eye.

There was a pause. "I knew it." Kairi said finally, making me look at her. She was smiling, but I could tell her eyes held a small sadness. "I knew you had feelings for Sora."

"Was I that obvious?" I had to ask.

"Only to a girl." She said. She went back to eating her food. I knew she liked Sora, and I couldn't help but feel a little guilty. It passed. I was _not_ giving Sora up anytime soon. Or ever.

"What happened after that?" Quistis asked.

I decided to skip me being drunk and the amusement park and just told them about the car ride to the school. I told them about the heartless attack and getting on the Gummi Ship. "That's it." I finished.

With our stories told, and our food digesting, we decided to call it a day. Kairi waved to us and headed back to the house she was staying at. I began to wonder where Sora and I were going to say when Zack's arms grabbed us both. "Guess what! We have a place for you two all set up! Paid for and furnished by the King himself!"

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**Shiro: **_I hope you liked it, there's going to be one more chapter for Sora and Riku to rest before falling fully into the mystery of the Blade Children. Please keep reading and reviewing! ^-^_


	18. Love and Lust

**Hachi: Hey! Sorry I took so long writing this! Also why blame me? It's not my fault I couldn't find decent pictures of Japanese houses (both inside and outside). Sheesh…Sorry everyone!**

**Shiro: **_Geez, Sensei! ^-^ Just kidding! I'm so happy to have this back! I still don't have a real computer, but I have a flash drive and the library. So, we'll make this work. I promise! Oh, and as a little warning, the sexual content goes up in this chapter, but I'm not saying how much ;)_

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**Sora's P.O.V.**

Riku and I followed Zack through the busy streets. As we walked further it became less crowded and quiet. The area we were now in was peaceful, and looked like a good place to raise a family. The houses were nice but we continued to walk past them.

I blinked as Zack turned to walk into a building. My shoulders sagged a bit as I realized we'd be living in, not a house, but an apartment. I always thought that apartments were too crowded. I was so hoping we'd be living in a nice house, but now that I think about it that if we, Riku and I, lived in a nice house, it'd be a bit weird. Seeing as we are both only teenagers, with no family that this world knows of or jobs to pay for the house.

I looked around the lobby to see it was pretty plain. The walls were white with one or two pictures handing from them. Near the stairs was the front desk, the person who should be working at it was missing. Right on the wall next to the front desk was several rows of mailboxes. I sighed as I saw that one of them read '_Heart and Kaze_'. Two elevators were placed near the stairs as well, which Zack was heading for.

We followed him on and he pushed the button for the floor. When the bell dinged and the doors opened to our floor we followed Zack off. I looked over the side railing and smiled as I looked down before looking back at Zack. He stopped at a door and fished in his pockets for the key. I looked briefly at our neighbor's name plate to see it read '_Narumi_'.

"Come on in," Zack said to us as he got the door open.

I followed Riku in and saw a wooden floor a step higher than the concrete floor we stood on. There was a hallway with two doors on the left, and one on the right. At the very end of the beige walled hallway was another door in the center. I moved to step onto the wooden floor when Zack stopped me.

"You need to remove your shoes."

"Why?" I asked confused.

"It's a Japanese custom."

I sighed but slipped my shoes off before stepping onto the wooden floor. Riku followed my example and Zack led us down the hall. The first door on the left was a bedroom, furnished with a bed, a bookcase, and a desk and office chair. It also had a closet in the corner of the room; it looked nice with beige walls and a tan colored carpet. We followed him to the door on the right and saw it was exactly the same as the first bedroom. The last door on the left was the bathroom, with white tiled floor and white walls.

The door at the end of the hallway led to the main rooms of the apartment. It consisted of a living room space, furnished with a couch and television, a kitchen, separated by half wall, that was equipped for cooking and a fully stocked fridge, and a dining area, furnished with a table, four chairs, and a china cabinet, filled with plates and other eating utensils. There were a few plants that decorated the room, on the middle of the kitchen table was a vase of irises. A door at the end of the room led into a small laundry room, and a sliding glass door led out onto a balcony that overlooked the area.

"So?" Zack asked.

"It's nice. Feels kind of cozy," I replied with a smile.

Riku nodded. "Thanks."

Zack nodded. "No problem. Anyways, I have to get going now."

"You're leaving already?" I asked sadly.

"I got work to do, kiddo."

"I'm not a kid."

Zack laughed. "Well, you two behave."

"We will," I promised.

Riku bowed. "Thanks again."

"No problem. Be seeing ya."

"Bye!"

Riku nodded. "Bye."

I walked to the door that led to the hallway and watched him leave. I waved as he turned to the close the door and smiled. I then turned to face Riku, still smiling.

**Riku's P.O.V.**

Our living arrangements were a little bland in my opinion, but it was better than nothing. I was too happy about how well things were going to complain anyway. A part of me warned that things were going _too_ well, and it wasn't going to last. I decided to ignore it for now. Instead, I focused on the fact that Sora and I were living together now, technically.

Sora turned to me with that big smile I loved on his face. "You know what this means?"

I tilted my head. "What what means?"

"You get Eyes back for Christmas!" His eyes sparkled with excitement.

I was shocked for a second, but then I started to laugh. It was the kind of laugh only Sora could get out of me. "I guess you're right."

"I wonder if Santa knows what world I'm on…" Sora said to himself as he turned away from me.

I rolled my eyes. "Sora, you know Santa isn't–"

"Real?" He turned back to me. "He is. I've met him." He put his hands on his hips, looking very proud.

I raised my eyebrow. "Met him?"

"Uh-huh, and when we're done here I'll take you to his world and prove it!"

I shook my head and walked over to him. I put my hand on his head. "Sure."

"You don't believe me." Sora crossed his arms and pretended to pout.

I smiled and leaned in to kiss him. He closed his eyes and immediately kissed me back. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him as close to me as I could. I licked his lips, and he parted them enough for my tongue to enter and meet with his. He let out a small moan. I stepped back with him still in my arms until my legs met the couch. I sat down and pulled Sora into my lap. I could see a blush growing on his cheeks, and I brushed my hand across them. "Sora…do you trust me?"

"I…yeah." Sora said, confused.

I pulled him in close and lightly kissed his neck. Nervously, I let one of my hands wander down his side and began to rub his thigh. This got another moan out of the brunette, and he gripped my shirt tight with both hands. My mouth moved up to his lips once more and pressed against them. I slowly slid my hand down and stroked his growing arousal through his clothes.

He gasped and broke the kiss. "R-Riku…" he managed to whisper. His eyes showed a mix of surprise and something I'd never seen from him before– lust. It was small, but I could tell it was there.

"Trust me, Sora. I love you, and I want to make you feel good." I stroked a little harder, and he closed his eyes.

"I love you too, Riku…but…"

I stopped. "But what?"

"I mean…we're not too young are we? I just…this is all really new." The blush on his face was growing.

"Sora, I'm ready for this. I want you. But if you're not ready…" I was surprised by how hard it was to say the next words with so much lust inside me. "…we don't have to yet."

"No." Sora said quickly, and by the look on his face he was surprised at what he'd said. "I…I want it, too…I think."

I let the fingers of my free hand run through his hair to calm him. "Relax, I'll go slow. If you start to feel uncomfortable, just say so." I then smirked. "Also, if I do something you like don't be afraid to let me know that either."

This got a smile from him and he nodded. I pulled him into another kiss, and this time he wrapped his arms around my neck and leaned more onto me. As my fingers tangled in his spikes, my other hand moved up Sora's stomach, pulling up his shirt. I quickly removed it and his jacket before continuing. My fingers studied every inch of his now bare chest, slowly circling his nipples. Sora moaned into our kiss and began to fight my tongue for dominance. I let out a moan of my own at this.

I turned us so Sora was now lying on the couch with me above him. My love's big blue eyes looked up at me, begging me not to stop. I pressed our lips together again and closed my eyes, letting my other senses soak him up. Carefully, I gripped the edge of his pants and pulled them off. My face grew hot knowing the boy under me was completely naked. I resisted the urge to break the kiss and look him over.

Sora tugged at my shirt, and I smirked, understanding what he wanted. I slid off my vest and pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it on the floor. Sora's face turned a brighter shade of red as his eyes took in my features. I realized then that he hadn't seen my bare chest since before we first left Destiny Islands. I let him look over me a moment longer so I could do the same. He was already hard, which only added to the lust growing inside me. I leaned down and claimed his lips again. I shifted my legs so our hardened members touched through the fabric of my pants. He shivered and wrapped his arms around me, keeping me in that position. I couldn't hold back any longer. I undid my pants and prepared to pull them off.

That's when we heard the door open.

**Sora's P.O.V.**

I allowed Riku to pull my pants off carefully as my hands gripped his shirt. I tugged at it and he smirked, knowing what I wanted. He slid of his vest and pulled his shirt over his head. I didn't care as he tossed them to the floor. I blushed deeply as my eyes moved over his body. His chest was muscular and well defined, including a six pack. It had been a while since I last saw his bare chest. He must have had enough of me staring as he leaned down and claimed my lips once again. I gasped as he shifted and our hardened members touched through the fabric. I wrapped my arms around him and shivered, and I kept him in that position. I felt his hand move as he began to undo his pants and prepared for him to pull them off.

The mood was ruined as I heard the door to the apartment open. I felt Riku freeze as his body tensed and his eyes narrowed. He sat up, still straddling me and his eyes moved to the door as he listened. I raised myself on my elbows as I heard footsteps approach the main room door. Riku tensed even more as his eyes hardened, I could tell he was ready to attack if he needed to.

The door handle turned slowly; to me it felt like forever till the door began to open. I watched as it revealed a tall man with short black hair, with bangs covering his right eye. From what I could tell from only seeing one eye they were crimson red. He wore a white dress shirt underneath a black suit with a black tie.

He watched us unfazed before he moved through the doorway to the table. He set down on it two bags, that I had just noticed he had been carrying. Riku remained tense as we watched the man's back as he began taking items out of the bag and setting them on the table.

"Quit staring and get dressed," He ordered.

I blushed as I realized I was naked, but Riku spoke before I could, "Who the hell are you?"

"Vincent Valentine. I'm an acquaintance of Zack's."

"Don't you know how to knock?" Riku snapped.

"Yes, but I didn't think I needed to. Now, unless you prefer for your boyfriend to be an exhibitionist, I'd suggest you allow him to dress. Though, if you don't I'm sure he will die of blushing from the embarrassment of being seen completely naked by a stranger."

I blushed deeply as I realized that he was correct in the statement and I looked down at the floor. One of my arms went to cover my chest pathetically, as the other hand went to my privates in attempt to hide myself. I wasn't sure if Vincent had taken a look at my body but I was embarrassed just from the thought that he might have.

Riku growled quietly before he got off the couch and blocked me from Vincent's view if the man turned around. I quickly sat up completely and grabbed my clothes before pulling my shirt on and then standing to slide my boxers up and pants back on. I then took in Riku's appearance and blushed as I realized he made no move to put his shirt back on or redo his pants.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm dropping off your school uniform and supplies."

"Uniform?" Riku asked.

"School? We have to go to school?" I asked with a groan.

The man turned his gaze to me and I jumped, "Of course."

"Uh…right…" I mumbled.

"We're only here to look for Eyes," Riku snapped.

"I know that," Vincent stated.

"Then why send us to a damn school? We don't have time to waste," Riku growled.

"Look kid, the school you two will be attending, Tsukiomi High School, is a gathering place for the Blade Children."

"The Blade Children?" I asked.

"Yes, I believe Kairi already explained to you what has happened so far? So then, if you two are smart, you should be able to piece together the pieces of the puzzle."

"Eyes is connected to the Blade Children. No…he's one of them," Riku stated.

"That is correct; to be more specific he seems to be the leader."

"Leader? Eyes? So everything Kairi said…does that mean he's bad?" I asked worried.

"That I cannot answer, for I do not know why it is they do what they do."

"Why must you talk so cryptically? You know something, so tell us!" I demanded.

"Look kid, you don't want to get mixed up in the business of the Blade Children."

"Why?" Riku asked.

"Because while they may act all high and mighty, they're only prey for the hunters."

"Hunters?" I asked

"Those who want to eliminate the cursed children."

"Are they after Eyes?" Riku asked.

"They're after all the Blade Children. They don't want to get non-Blade Children involved, but if you get too deep your lives will be in danger."

"Are you trying to scare us or threaten us?" Riku asked.

"I'm warning you. Tread lightly in your search for Eyes, or you may lose your lives."

I watched as the man walked past us and towards the door. Riku turned and glared at the man's back as he continued walking. Before I could react Riku had moved quickly after the man, stopping at the step as the man opened the front door.

"I won't back down," He stated.

Vincent glanced back at Riku. "You're a fool then. Then again, we're all fools in this life."

The man walked through the doorway and closed it. I watched from the doorway of the main room as Riku continued to watch the door. I saw him clench his hands into fists as he shook in what I guessed was anger.

"I won't abandon Eyes after how far we've come," I heard him growl.

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**Hachi: Wow…I think this chapter turned out very well! I hope I did well on Vincent…I was really worried about how he came off…especially with Riku…**

**Shiro:** _You did well, Sensei. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please stay tuned for the next one! Oh, and don't forget to review!_


	19. Christmas

**Shiro:**_ Hey, sorry it took so long to get this up. We were hoping to get it done by Christmas, but it didn't really work out that way (obviously). But we did finish it before January and the Holiday season officially ended! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy. As usual, I wrote Riku's and Kairi's parts and Hachi wrote the rest._

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_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I blinked my eyes open wearily, blushing as I realized my head lay on Riku's chest. I sat up slowly and carefully. Riku's arm, which had originally been wrapped around my shoulder, now was around my waist. I looked around the darkened room to our clock to see it read 7 am. I closed my eyes sleepily as I remembered yesterday's events. I remembered meeting Zack and Quistis along with Vincent…and also going shopping for a Christmas present for Riku...

I froze at the thought of Riku's Christmas present, yesterday had been Christmas Eve which meant that today was Christmas. I got out of the bed carefully and snuck out of the room and once the bedroom door was closed ran towards the main room. I stopped eyes wide in surprise at what he saw.

A small Christmas tree, in a pot, rested on the table with two present sitting next to it. I walked over and looked at the name tag to see who it was from, though I already guessed who it was. I smiled as I saw I had guessed right and that they were from Santa. I took off running towards the bedroom and jumped on the bed, right on top of Riku.

"Riku! Wake up! It's Christmas!" I shook my boyfriend, "Santa already visited!"

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

I was woken up by my boyfriend jumping on top of me and shaking me. "Santa already visited!" He said. I could tell from his tone that he was smiling that big smile I loved so much.

I groaned and sat up, trying to push him off of me but he wrapped his arms around my neck to keep him there. "Sora, Santa isn't-"

"He is! And I'll prove it! C'mon!" He grabbed my arm and nearly dragged me out of the bed. I stumbled after him, still half asleep. I quit getting up early for Christmas years ago, but I should have guessed Sora hadn't. He pulled me into the living room, and it took me a second to see that there was something new there; a small tree with two presents underneath it.

"How did…" I started, staring at it. I was certain that hadn't been there the night before. Sora grabbed the small packages and handed one of them to me. I looked at the tag, and saw it said it was indeed from Santa. I shook my head and tore the wrapping paper on the box. I could hear Sora doing the same. When I opened it, however, I froze. Inside the box was a CD, and on the cover was my older brother. I picked it up and stared at it, my mouth partially hanging open. _Eyes Rutherford Piano Collection _was written in a fancy font above a picture of Eyes sitting at a piano. "Eyes…" I whispered. There was no other logical explanation in my head except that maybe Santa was real after all. I heard Sora sniff and immediately turned to him. Tears ran down his face as he looked at his present, though he was smiling.

His present was a picture, a picture of him and Ritsuka. I had nearly forgotten about our time in that world, but I could tell Sora really did miss Ritsuka. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his tears. He wiped them away with his hand and turned to me, "Do you believe now?"

I smiled and rested my head against his, "Yeah." My arms around him tightened and I held him close. "And to think, last night I was so close to taking those ears of yours." I smirked and nibbled at his ear.

"Riku!" Sora blushed and shivered. He closed his eyes as I leaned in to kiss his lips, but before I could make contact the front door opened suddenly.

"Merry Christmas!" I heard Zack call from the entry way. I sighed and let go of Sora, biting my tongue to hold back a curse. The spiky haired man turned the corner into the living room and smiled at us. "We bring tidings of joy! And, well… food!"

Quistis walked in behind him and rolled her eyes. She placed a plate of cakes and other pastries on the coffee table. "I had some extra goodies left over from last night, so I wanted to bring some to you as a little present."

"Thanks!" Sora said, already picking through it; I couldn't help but chuckle. I looked up as a third person entered the room, Vincent. Both Sora and I blushed.

"There's my Vin-rin!" Zack wrapped an arm around the man's neck and kissed his cheek.

"Zack." Vincent growled and pushed him away.

Sora stared at the two of them. "Are you two…?"

"Yup!" Zack answered. "Vin-rin's my boyfriend."

"I told you not to call me 'Vin-rin', Zachary." Vincent glared at the puppy.

Quistis giggled. "Those two go way back. They've been together for nearly 2 years now. Vincent doesn't much care for public displays of affection."

"He can't ignore tradition, though." Zack smirked and pointed up at the ceiling. I glanced up and noticed for the first time there was some mistletoe hung in the doorway, and Zack and Vincent were standing right under it.

Vincent sighed and pulled Zack into a kiss. It surprised me to see how quickly the expression on the crimson eyed man's face softened as he held the other man in his arms. He loved Zack. The puppy was the one who pulled away first, and I could tell Vincent wanted more.

"Kairi should be coming over soon, right?" Sora asked through a mouthful of cake.

I shook my head and held his face in my hand. "Swallow before you talk, Sora." I licked some frosting off his lip, making him blush. "And yeah, knowing Kairi she should be on her way now."

_**Ayumu's P.O.V.**_

I had just finished putting breakfast on the table before going to awaken Madoka. I stuck my head into her room and saw she was still asleep, with a pile of reports on her desk. I sighed before opening the door a bit more so I could lean against the door frame.

"You should be getting up now, even though it's Christmas you still have a lot of work to do." I told her.

She groaned and turned over, "Go away…"

"Will you get up?"

"Ayumu…" She groaned.

"Yes?"

"GET OUT!" Madoka shouted as she threw her pillow at me.

I closed the door quickly and rolled my eyes with a small smile. As I turned to head back to the main room I heard a familiar voice. I turned my head to the front door as I recognized the voice of Kairi, though why she'd be here I didn't know. As I moved to go to the door I froze as I heard another familiar voice. The voice could only belong to Kousuke Asazuki.

I went to the door, after slipping my shoes on and unlocked the door. I opened the door just as Kairi and Asazuki were in front of my door. They both stopped as they saw the door open, Kairi smiling while Asazuki just sighed.

"Hi, Ayumu." Kairi greeted.

I nodded at her before looking at Asazuki, "Why are you here?"

"I saw Kairi walking and asked her what was up, after everything that had happened. She told me she was coming over here to spend Christmas with two of her friends, so I offered to lead her here in case she got lost," Asazuki explained.

"Oh? That seems real believable."

Kairi smiled, "It's true. My friends just moved in next door."

"What if he had tried something?"

"I would have been able to protect myself."

I watched as she rang the doorbell as I exited my house, not willing to leave Kairi alone with him. He seemed to be quite interested in her for some reason, especially since he didn't just walk her here and leave, he had stayed. She moved back as she smiled waiting for the door to be answered. I noticed she held a platter of yellow frosted star shaped cookies.

I heard the door begin to open and turned my attention to it. My eyes widened and I heard Asazuki gasp slightly as a silver-haired boy opened the door. He smiled at Kairi as she smiled back.

"Hey, glad you found the place," The boy said.

"Thanks to Kousuke here, also Ayumu lives in the same building." Kairi explained.

The boy turned his attention to the two of us; I noticed he looked almost exactly like Eyes Rutherford except with sea-green eyes, "Thank you for bringing Kairi over…um?"

Asazuki held his hand out, "I'm Kousuke, and it was no problem. This stick in the mud is Ayumu."

I glared at Asazuki before looking at the boy, "And you are?"

"Riku, Riku Heart," He introduced.

"Heart?" I asked with my eyebrow raised.

"Yes…why?" He looked confused.

"Riku…" Kairi began, drawing Riku's attention to her.

She stood on her tip-toes to whisper in his ear quietly as her eyes looked at Kousuke and I. Riku's eyes widened as he glanced at us as well. His gaze seemed to linger on Asazuki though more than anything. Kairi moved back when she finished speaking to him and turned to us.

"Thanks Kousuke," She pulled back the plastic wrap over the cookies and picked one up, "here, have one."

Asazuki smiled and took it, taking a bite immediately. "It's delicious."

"Paopu fruit cookies, here Ayumu," she handed me one next.

I took and nodded to her and turned back to my door. Asazuki had begun to turn to leave when Kairi stopped him; I turned as she walked closer to him. I watched as she kissed him on the check before moving away. Before either of us could say anything, Riku had pulled her into the house and closed the door. I turned back to enter my apartment as Asazuki walked back towards the elevator.

I entered my apartment and slipped my shoes off and the slippers back on. I headed to the kitchen and as I entered I took a bite of the cookie and smiled at how it tasted. I quickly finished eating it before serving breakfast to Madoka, all the while thinking of Riku and his similar appearance to Eyes.

_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

I slipped off my shoes as Riku closed the door behind me. "I brought Paopu cookies!" I turned and held out the plate to him.

"Paopu cookies?" He took the plate and picked up one to examine it.

I nodded and smiled. "A little piece of home for us to share. I figured it's more creative than Christmas cookies."

"This is just what we need, more sugar for Sora." He chuckled and put the cookie back. "Thank you, Kairi."

"You're welcome." I said before we both walked into the living room. The first thing I saw was Sora, a plate of sweets in front of him and frosting on his lips. I had to laugh.

"Hey, Kairi! Merry Christmas!" He said after swallowing.

"Merry Christmas, Sora." I looked around and noticed the others in the room: Mr. Valentine, Coach Fair, and Instructor Trepe, as I call them at school.

"Kairi brought cookies." Riku announced and set them on the table before sitting next to Sora. "Paopu cookies."

"Thanks, Kairi!" Sora said before picking one up and taking a bite. Riku leaned in and bit off the other end of the cookie while it was still in Sora's mouth, making the brunette blush.

"Save it for the bedroom." Zack teased.

I giggled and pulled a small box out of my bag. "Here, this is for you two." I handed the box to Riku before sitting in a chair across from him and Sora. "I made it last night, with Sakura's help."

Riku handed the box to Sora, since he looked so eager to open it. He ripped the paper quickly and opened it. Riku looked over his shoulder to see what was inside. Sora held up two necklaces, each with a half of a Paopu pendant on the end.

"It's my way of saying I'm happy for the two of you." I said with a smile. "Now you two share a Paopu."

Sora handed one half to Riku, who looked at it in thought. They both but the necklaces on, and as Sora held up his half, Riku touched his to it to make a whole pendant. "We've already shared one..." Riku said quietly.

"We have?" Sora asked, obviously confused.

"Yeah... a long time ago." Riku said. "Before Eyes left. We were playing on the island and got hungry. We shared a Paopu fruit, not knowing what it was."

Sora's eyes widened as he remembered. "That's right! When I found out what they meant, I figured it would mean we would be best friends forever."

"And we will be. Just with benefits." Riku smirked and kissed Sora tenderly. The other boy immediately kissed back.

"What's a Paopu fruit?" Zack asked suddenly.

I giggled and looked at him. "It's a fruit that grows on our islands. There's a legend behind it that says when two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They remain a part of each other's lives no matter what."

"How romantic." Quistis said.

"Speaking of romantic." Riku broke the kiss and turned to me. "What's with you and that Kousuke kid?"

I turned away from him to hide my blush and moved some of my hair behind my ear. "Nothing really... I think he's cute..."

"I noticed he looked a lot like Sora, if he took those glasses off." Riku stated.

"Really?" Sora asked.

I turned back to them. "Yeah, I guess that's part of it. I mean, I did like Sora for a long time. But it's also he was really kind to me even though we were technically enemies."

"If you're talking about Kousuke Asazuki," Vincent said suddenly, making most of us jump, "You should drop the thought right now. Interacting with Blade Children is dangerous enough. Involving yourself romantically with one could cost you your life."

"Kousuke would never hurt me." I said confidently.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Vincent stated as an end to the conversation.

"Quit ruining the mood, Vin-rin." Zack nudged his lover playfully. "It's Christmas." Vincent just sighed.

"Now it's time for our presents to each other!" Sora said excitedly as he got up to get his. Riku got up a little slower, and when they both had each other's gifts in their hands they sat down across from one another.

"Merry Christmas, Sora." Riku said as they exchanged presents.

"Merry Christmas, Riku." Sora smiled and began to open his. I already knew what it was; a silver bracelet with a ruby heart at the center, angel wings grew out of it and wrapped around to form the bracelet. I looked closer to the box in Riku's hand to see what Sora had gotten him.

We both stared at it for a second, not believing how similar it was to the one Riku got Sora. It, too, was a bracelet with a heart at the center, only this heart was sapphire and the wings growing from it were golden bat wings. Each gift seemed to perfectly suit the receiver. "Thanks, Sora." Riku smiled and put the bracelet on before kissing his boyfriend. Sora had already put his on and eagerly kissed Riku back.

I smiled at the scene in front of me. And tomorrow after school I would call Kousuke to see if he can get us a chance to see Eyes. Things were working out perfectly, and it felt like the four of us would be returning home in no time. Sora, Riku, Eyes, and me.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

That night I stared at the ceiling of mine and Sora's bedroom, unable to sleep. Like the night before, Sora was using my chest as a pillow. I absentmindedly stroked his hair, which was probably the reason he fell asleep so fast.

_"Kousuke is the one I told you about yesterday, the one who took me to Eyes. He knows him pretty well, it seems." _Kairi had whispered to me. My first reaction was to demand to see Eyes right then, but that morning was for Sora. He loved Christmas, and I loved seeing him so happy. I could wait one more day, I told myself. I turned my head and looked at the CD sitting on the end table. My brother's CD.

_Everyone left after lunch, leaving the evening for Sora and myself. I cleaned up the paper and boxes while Sora put the leftover sweets in the fridge. "Hey, Riku." He called. "Why don't you put in Eyes' CD? I wanna hear his piano music again."_

_I smiled and picked up the CD. We had a small radio that got terrible reception, but it had a working CD player so I popped it in and pressed play. I went back to cleaning, but the first song that started made both Sora and I stop what we were doing. It was one of the songs Eyes played for us when we were kids. He even came up with lyrics for it as a lullaby for me. "Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight. It's hard to let it go..." I sang quietly._

"_Hold me; whatever lies beyond this morning is a little later on. Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all. Nothing's like before..." Sora continued._

_I grabbed the CD case and looked on the back for song titles. The first one was called "Hikari". The second song was called "Where the Earth meets the Sky". It started playing not long after I had read the title, and this one surprised me even more. It was a song he wrote for me just before he left. He said it played in his head as he watched me, so he called it my theme. It was beautiful, and yet sad at the same time. It was his goodbye to me._

_I couldn't stop the tears in my eyes from escaping, and they left streaks on my face that I didn't bother to wipe away. I tried not to cry very often, and as a result I barely ever did. But this, this proof that Eyes hadn't forgotten me, was too much. I felt Sora's arms wrap around me and his head lean against my back. "Riku..." He whispered._

I turned my attention back to Sora, the one I loved. "We'll be home soon." I told his sleeping form. "All of us." I closed my eyes and let myself fall into a peaceful sleep.

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Shiro: _Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Hachi and I enjoyed writing it! Please Review! Also, here are the piano songs on Eyes' CD:_

Hikari - .com/watch?v=O421SKc1cAo&feature=related

Where the Earth Meets the Sky (Riku's theme): .com/watch?v=S3TP4D5bysk

_Oh, and we have a question for all of you. Who should Kairi end up with? Should it be Kousuke? Ienzo (keep in mind Ienzo and Kairi are approximately the same age)? Or someone else entirely? Please write your answer in a review! Arigatou!_


	20. Fight or Flight

**Shiro:** _Hey there! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter. We're back into the heat of the story, and things get more complicated as Sora and Riku delve deeper into the mystery of the Blade Children. Enjoy! Woohoo! Chapter 20! I think you know who wrote what by now :p  
_

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_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

School. Dammit, why did I have to go to school when I was so close to finding my brother? Needless to say I was more reluctant than usual to get up the next morning.

"Rikuuuu!" Sora shook me. "Riku, we're going to be late!"

I groaned and finally sat up. "Fine, fine. I'm up." Sora smiled and gave me a quick kiss before jumping off the bed and heading out to the living room. I sighed and got off the bed as well and looked for my uniform. Sora left it on the dresser, so I quickly changed. If there was anything good about this school, it was the uniform. It was much better than Destiny Islands' uniforms. I hated plaid. I sighed as I looked at my reflection. My hair was a mess, I didn't feel like buttoning the shirt all the way, and I forgot my belt. I looked like a delinquent.

"Riku!" Sora called from the living room, and I left the bedroom to find him. He was waiting by the door with both of our bags in hand.

I walked up to him and kissed his forehead as I took my bag. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"We haven't been able to go to school together for a while. Aren't you excited?"

"I'd rather be out finding my older brother." I replied honestly as we walked out of our apartment.

"We'll find Eyes soon." He tried to reassure me.

"Soon isn't soon enough, Sora. I've spent half my life worrying about him, and I finally have a lead. We're not even going to be staying at this school for more than a couple of days if this all works out. I don't see the point."

"But Riku…"

I started to feel a little frustrated. "I should have just demanded Kousuke to take me to Eyes yesterday when he brought Kairi over. We could be on our way home right now if I hadn't hesitated."

"Riku, we have to be patient!"

"Patient! I waited a year for you to wake up. I waited 11 years to find any trace of Eyes. I think I've been patient enough for both of us. He's right in front of me, Sora, and I can't reach him!"

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Riku turned to me.

"You could have gone and looked for Eyes that whole time you were waiting."

"Oh, so you'd rather still be asleep right now? The only reason you woke up so early was because I did everything I could to help you. The least you owe me is this chance to find my brother."

I couldn't believe him! He was being so pig-headed as always! _All Riku ever thinks about is Eyes this and Eyes that! Why'd he even need me to come here? Couldn't he have come by himself just fine? Also, if he had come by himself he would have been with Eyes a lot sooner! The way he makes it sound is as if it's my entire fault!_

_Like I asked to have my memories torn apart and fake memories planted! Like I asked to be made the Keyblade wielder at all! If he hadn't been so eager we would have probably found Eyes sooner than now! But he's probably thinking it's my fault that it took so long. Because I went around saving the world from being destroyed twice I made him wait to find his precious brother. _

I watched Riku angrily as I could feel that the argument was about to heat up. I couldn't believe he was pretty much blaming him having to wait on me! I really couldn't believe how much he's changed since finding out Eyes is here.

"If you don't remember the main reason we were building the raft was to go find Eyes. Also who's the one who went off on his own anyways? You may have waited for me but it's not like you were actually waiting considering you never showed up after I woke up."

"Maybe you forgot, but I looked like a freak for a while there."

"And I guess that's my fault. The only reason you probably waited is because you didn't want your precious brother to see you that way."

"Well, yes. I wouldn't want him to see me like that."

"Besides, we might have found Eyes sooner if someone hadn't decided he wanted to do things by himself and turn his back on his friends."

"I'm done talking." Riku picked up his pace so he was walking ahead of me.

"That's your answer to everything! The minute you don't have control over something you lose it."

"I said I'm done." He said in a more forceful tone without looking back.

I stopped as I stared at him in anger. "Stupid jerk..." _I have never been this angry at him, not even when he betrayed me and fought alongside Maleficent. I looked all over for him and couldn't stop believing in him. So why is he acting this way?_

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

There was no way I was going to sit through some stupid classes all day. Not after I made an idiot of myself that morning. I went to the only place I could think of where I could let off some steam: the gym. "How could he accuse me of that?" I asked to myself as I set my bag down by the gym doors. "Doesn't he know how much I've done for him?" I found a room that was filled with weights and some punching bags and went inside. "Doesn't he know that everything I've done for the past year has been for him?" I yelled out in frustration as I punched one of the bags as hard as I could. "And he brought up my falling into the darkness, when he knows what it cost me!" I kicked the bag. "Ever since he saved me from Ansem, ever since I realized my true feelings for him, I did everything, sacrificed everything, to protect him!" I punched it twice, hurting one of my hands in the process. "I forgot about my brother for him!" I yelled at the bag and pounded it with my fists, taking deep breaths. "I…I don't want to forget again…" I felt tears threatening to break free of my eyes, but I bit them back. I yelled at the bag again and walked over to a bench press. I needed to get this adrenaline out of me somehow, and lifting weights seemed like a better idea than yelling at inanimate objects.

I stayed in that room through lunch, trying to calm myself down. It wasn't until my real gym period that I realized how stupid I was acting. Sora was right. We really hadn't had school together in a long time, and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like fun to be in school for the first time as boyfriends. We could have eaten lunch together, maybe found a secret spot to be alone in. And if we had gym in the same period...thinking about the locker room made me blush. I shook my head to get rid of the images. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that stuff. I needed to apologize to Sora. I needed to let him know how much I loved him. How much I really need him.

I quickly changed into the gym uniform and found my class. I tried to blend in and act like I'd been with them the whole time, but I found that harder to do than I thought.

"You must be Riku!" a girl with braided pigtails came up to me and said cheerfully, "I'm Hiyono Yuizaki. Kairi's told us a lot about you."

"Uh…" my mind was drawing a blank as to where I should know this girl.

"Oh, right. We haven't officially met. I'm Ayumu's friend."

"Ayumu?" Then it clicked. She was the other girl from Kairi's story. "Oh, right. The reporter chick."

"I'm a reporter, yes, but don't call me chick. Anyway, I heard you were transferring into my class, and I was wondering where you were all morning."

"Oh, I skipped." I admitted with a shrug. I looked around the courtyard we were standing in, not especially wanting to talk to this chick, er, girl.

"Skipped? That's not very good at all! You really should…"

The rest of what she said faded into the background as my eyes found a certain spiky haired boy on the other side of the yard.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I was nervous as I approached my classroom. Riku had stormed off the minute we reached the school, leaving me all by myself. Since I had to wait in the office for my schedule I was the only one in the hall. I gulped as I stared at the door before knocking on it.

"Come in!" a voice called from inside.

I entered nervously and noticed a blonde haired, blue eyes man was my homeroom teacher. He smiled at me energetically and I was reminded slightly of Yuffie or possibly Zack in personality. I bowed to show respect, as I remembered a few things Quistis had filled us in on in Japanese education customs.

"You must be Sora Kaze?" The man asked.

"Yes, sensei."

"Well nice to meet you Sora, I'm Fai D. Flowright. I'll be your homeroom and science teacher," The man introduced.

I nodded as Fai and I turned to the class. I gulped slightly as I saw all the students looking at me in curiosity. My nervousness died a bit as I saw Kairi sitting near the middle of the classroom smiling brightly at me. I smiled slightly, and caught a few students whispering about my sudden transfer to the school.

"Everyone this is Sora. He just moved here from an island off the coast, I want you all to be nice to him." Fai stated.

The students nodded at their teacher and Fai directed me to a desk near Kairi, which was next to a brown haired boy. The boy seemed really bored and I blinked as he noticed the piercings the boy wore in his ears.

I smiled at Kairi as I noticed she had put a note on my desk. I opened it and just smiled at the simple greeting, she also told me who the boy that he next to was. He was the one connected to Eyes it seemed, Ayumu Narumi.

Classes went by fairly fast and boring to me. I had been feeling better until lunch began. I then remembered the fight I had with Riku when Kairi asked if I wanted to go find him. I had just said no to her question and we ate in silence, though I could feel her watching me intently. As we began to reach the end of our science class, the door to the classroom opened.

I blinked as Quistis entered, "May I see Mr. Kaze please?"

Fai blinked but nodded, "Sora, please go with Trepe-Sensei."

I got up and followed Quistis out of the classroom, worried I had done something wrong. I thought through the day and despite my fight with Riku I couldn't think of anything bad that had happened. Not bad enough for me to be pulled out of class.

"Sora, where is Riku?" Quistis asked.

"What?"

"Riku never showed up for homeroom, and he still wasn't in class during English," She explained.

"We came to school together, and he stormed off."

"Was everything okay this morning?"

"No…we had a fight."

Quistis sighed, I thought I heard her mutter something about teenage boys and always causing trouble, "What was the fight about?"

"He didn't want to come to school because he wanted to find Eyes."

"And?"

"I told him that we could have found Eyes by now if he hadn't fallen into Darkness…I was stupid to have said that…" I looked down.

"I see…well thanks Sora, be on the lookout for him okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

I walked back into my classroom and sat at my desk with a downcast face. It wasn't long until my class was heading to the locker room, seeing a second year class already in the locker rooms changing. I heard a couple of the talking about the new student who had never shown up and realized it was Riku's class. I looked for his familiar silver hair but saw him nowhere in the locker room. As we lined up outside Kairi approached, and I knew I couldn't escape her questions.

"What is going on?" She demanded.

"Riku and I had a fight."

"Over what?"

"Not going to look for Eyes immediately."

"That's Riku's side, what's yours?"

"It felt like he was blaming me for the fact we hadn't found him 'til now."

Kairi sighed, "And your response?"

"I mentioned that if he hadn't fallen into darkness then we probably would have found him by now," Sora sighed sadly.

"Sora! That was low and you know it."

"I know…it just seemed like he was blaming me…he brought up that he had to wait a year for me to awaken…it felt like this whole thing was my entire fault."

"Sora…"

"And then he just got angry and turned away and completely ignored me! So even if I tried to apologize he wouldn't have listened!"

Kairi watched me with sad eyes as she took in what I said. I could see she was taking my side of the argument and not Riku's. I went to add something but a voice stopped me.

"You must be Riku!" A female voice said excitedly.

I turned to see that girl from the other day talking to Riku excitedly. She seemed to be awfully close to him for some reason, and he didn't seem to be doing anything about it. I could tell he was talking to her calmly and it seemed like our fight wasn't even affecting him. I couldn't believe he had decided to show up for this class, not even showing up to possibly join me for lunch. I saw him turn his head in my direction, and my response was to turn away immediately.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

As soon as Sora saw me looking at him, he turned away immediately. Of course he was still mad at me. I sighed and looked away again.

"Riku, are you listening?" Hiyono asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Oh, sorry no…" I replied.

Hiyono sighed and looked in the direction I was just looking. "Ooh, I see. That's that Sora kid who transferred in with you. What's wrong? You two have a fight?"

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. "Yeah. I said something stupid and now he's mad at me."

"Well, he doesn't seem so mad. He keeps looking over here at you."

"He is?" I looked back at him, and as soon as I did he looked away from me.

Hiyono gave me a small push. "Go talk to him!"

"What? Right now?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, right now! I'll cover for you with Coach Fair." She pushed me again, and then walked away. I looked at Sora, and for a moment I couldn't move. After taking a deep breath I started walking over to him.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I watched the girls in my class begin to whisper excitedly as I resisted the urge to turn to look at Riku. I jumped slightly as I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked back to see Riku. I resisted the urge to turn away as I turned to face him fully.

"Sora…I…" Riku sighed as he looked like he was trying to think of what to say.

"Yes?" I asked hopefully, I would apologize once he did.

Before he could continue the girls in my class all squealed and surrounded us. I also noticed the girls in Riku's class approach as well in a group. They all began to ask him questions as I was roughly pushed aside.

"Riku is that your name? Did you know you look like Eyes?" A girl asked.

"You are so cute! Would you be on our team?" one of his classmates asked.

"No! He should be on our team!" another girl stated.

Riku wasn't doing much to stop the girl's advances and I was getting irritated. He didn't even seem concerned I had gotten pushed away. As I watched them fawn all over them I got angrier and upset.

"Oh, forget it!"

Riku looked at me confused, "Sora?'

"Go back to your class! Wouldn't want the attention going to your already big head!"

"What is with you? What have I done?"

"Nothing is wrong with me! You're the one fine with girls hanging all over you! They only see you as Eyes anyways!"

"Sora, we will not discuss that now, so stop yelling at me."

"You're not my mother." I turned and stormed away from him angrily_. I can't believe him! Letting those girls just hang off him like that!_

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

I stared after Sora in shock. The girls were still crowding around me, forcing me to step back. _Was he jealous? Why?_ I ignored the girls around me and walked back over to my class. That completely backfired. I was going to have to wait until when we got back to the apartment to apologize. Stupid girls. No wonder I was never interested in them.

Hiyono found me when I returned and asked how it went. I answered honestly, and she seemed just as frustrated as I was. "This is something that needs to be discussed privately. I'm sure things will be fine when you get home." She told me. "Everyone fights sometimes. You just end up stronger for it in the end."

She was right, I knew it. Sora loved me as much as I loved him. We wouldn't let a stupid fight ruin our relationship. However, I ended up stalling my return home by loitering in that little room in the gym I found. It wasn't until the sun was starting to go down that I finally was able to go back.

I hesitated a moment before I opened the door to our apartment. "Sora?" I called as I stepped inside.

"What?" Sora asked in a bitter tone that made me wince. I followed his voice into the living room where he was doing homework in front of the TV. He always did like to have some sort of noise while he worked.

"Sora, look..." I started, running my hand through my hair. "I'm sorry about what I said this morning..." He turned to look at me but didn't say anything. "I'm sorry about everything. You were right, okay? I guess I was just anxious... and selfish."

Sora looked down, "I should be the one apologizing..."

I looked at him in surprise. "Why? You were right."

"I shouldn't have said what i did...mentioning you falling into the darkness and stuff...that was low..."

"Yeah, it was." I walked over and sat down next to him. "And I shouldn't have brought up when you were asleep. None of that was your fault."

"I'm also sorry for earlier in gym class..."

I wrapped a comforting arm around him. "What got into you?"

"All those girls swarming around you..."

"You were jealous?" I asked. He looked down, frowning. I tilted his head back up to look into his eyes. "Sora, I'm sorry I let them swarm us, but there's no reason you ever need to feel jealous. I love you."

"I know..."

"I just want you to know that everything I've done since you fell asleep has been for you. Today should have been for you as well. Can you forgive me for being a stupid jerk?"

Sora nodded. "Can you forgive me as well?"

"Always." I gave kissed his forehead lightly. Sora smiled as he leaned against me. "Looks like we have gym at the same time. Know what that means?" I asked with a smirk.

Sora blinked in confusion, "What?"

"We get to have a little fun in the locker room before and after class." I ran my hand down his chest. Sora blushed and looked away. I held him tighter to me. "I've already seen you." I whispered in his ear. "Don't you want to see me?"

"Riku..." Sora closed his eyes. I turned his head and pressed my lips against his.

"...Eyes Rutherford-" I broke the kiss and turned my attention to the TV. Sora seemed a little disappointed, but didn't say anything. "- the famous pianist currently visiting Japan - was rushed to the hospital after being attacked at the International Airport. After undergoing emergency surgery, he is currently unconscious and in critical condition. The police say-" My eyes widened and for a minute I couldn't breathe. I thought I heard Sora call my name.

_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

"-though the airport was bustling with people at the time of the attack no helpful eyewitness reports have yet been obtained."

I held my hand over my mouth in shock. I turned to Sakura, who was sitting next to me. She nodded. "Go, hurry!" She said.

I nodded and stood up, grabbing my shoes and jacket quickly before pulling out my cell. I dialed Kousuke's number.

"You saw?" Was how he greeted me.

"Can you take me to the hospital?"

"I'm on my way." The phone clicked, indicating he had hung up. I put my phone away and ran outside to wait. _Please be okay!_ I prayed.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

"...Eyes Rutherford-" Riku broke the kiss and turned his attention to the TV. I was a little disappointed, but didn't say anything because it was about Eyes. "- the famous pianist currently visiting Japan - was rushed to the hospital after being attacked at the International Airport. After undergoing emergency surgery, he is currently unconscious and in critical condition. The police say-"

My eyes widened and I watched Riku. He looked shocked and frozen in place, his eyes wide. "Riku?" I called, though he didn't seem to hear me.

"-though the airport was bustling with people at the time of the attack no helpful eyewitness reports have yet been obtained."

I turned to the TV and noted the little news bar at the bottom that gave some information. I noticed the hospital it said and quickly looked it up on the computer. I then turned the TV off, finally getting Riku's attention.

"Why'd you do that? They might have more news!" He shouted worriedly.

"I got the hospital that he's at, come on!"

Before I could do anything else Riku was pulling me out of the house following the instructions that was on the piece of paper. As we ran through the city I cold see he was really worried. I apologized as we bumped into a brown haired boy, about our age. Though, the look on his face when he looked at me and Riku was strange.

He seemed shocked and confused, before Riku pulled me around a corner. It didn't take us long to reach the hospital with Riku leading the way.

_**Riku's P.O.V.**_

I threw open the hospital doors and ran to the front desk. "Give me the room Eyes Rutherford is staying in!" I demanded.

"I'm sorry, sir, but only family-"

"I _am_ family, dammit!" My fist hit the counter hard. "I'm his brother! Give me the number now!"

The receptionist look startled and said quickly, "R-room 313."

I turned to the stairs, having no patience for the elevator, and ran up to the third floor. I could hear Sora's footsteps behind me. I ran down the hall watching the numbers rise to my left and right. It didn't take long before we reached 313. I stopped.

"Riku?" Sora asked, trying to catch his breath.

I stared at the door. My brother was behind that door. I couldn't get myself to move; I felt myself shaking. Sora's hand slipped into mine, and I was able to find my strength. I grabbed the handle and opened the door slowly. Lying in the hospital bed, looking as if he was just sleeping peacefully, was my dear older brother. We really did look almost exactly alike. I stepped into the room, my grip on Sora's hand tightening as I got closer to the bed.

"Eyes..." I whispered. He didn't move. My eyes began to sting as hot tears began to flow. My knees gave out and I collapsed next to the bed, my head resting on the edge of it. "Eyes...please wake up..."

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**Shiro:**_ We went from happy and perfect to drama and suspense like that *snaps fingers* Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please keep reading and reviewing! ...Seriously we need some votes on who Kairi should end up with. Until next time!_


	21. Explanation

**Hachi: Hi everyone, so sorry! Shiro and I had a bit of a falling out, when life caught up with us. Due to that the stories were put on stop as we worked through our problems. But here's the new chapter!**

* * *

**Kairi's P.O.V.**

My arms were wrapped around Kousuke's waist as we rode to the hospital. Never before did I think a bike was so slow. How could things have gone so wrong? Just two days ago everything was perfect.

"I guess I should have expected this…" I whispered.

"Expected what?" Kousuke asked.

I closed my eyes and rested my head against his back. "Everything was going so perfectly. Sora and Riku arriving, Christmas… Eyes and Riku's reunion shouldn't be like this…"

"Murphy's Law." Kousuke said. "Everything that can go wrong, will."

"Then I hate Murphy."

I heard Kousuke chuckle, and I pictured his amused smirk in my head. "Me too, Kairi."

I never liked hospitals. The smell always made me think of death. Once, back home, when Sora and Riku were playing on our island Sora fell off the Paopu tree and broke his arm. Back then I didn't understand that it wasn't serious, and when they took him into surgery I thought I was never going to see him again. I never really got over that.

"What room is Eyes Rutherford in?" Kousuke asked the receptionist when we reached the front desk.

"I'm sorry, sir, but only family is allowed to see Mr. Rutherford."

"I'm his half-brother."

The receptionist sighed. "Anyone can claim to be Mr. Rutherford's half-brother. I'm going to need proof."

Kousuke's brow furrowed in annoyance, and it looked as if he was about to tell the innocent hospital worker off. I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Please," I looked into the receptionist's eyes. "My friend Riku is Eyes' brother, and he's probably already here. He hasn't seen Eyes in years, and he needs us. Can't you tell us the room number?" I hoped my eyes were sparkling as I gave the most innocent and cutest look I could.

The receptionist gave in and, with a sigh, gave us the room number. With a cheerful thank you, I grabbed Kousuke's arm and lead him to the elevators.

"You're good at manipulating people, you know that?" He asked with a smirk as he pressed the button for our floor.

**Kousuke's P.O.V.**

I felt slightly nervous as I waited for the elevator to reach the right floor. The few people that got on and off I just ignored and kept close to Kairi. I didn't wish to draw attention to either of us, especially if one of these people could be a hunter come to finish the job. Finally we reached the floor and quickly got off.

Kairi quickly moved down the hall, avoiding anyone who got in her way as I followed. She stopped in front of a door and looked at me. I nodded my head for her to enter first, seeing as I would likely not be trusted. As I entered after her my eyes immediately went to Eyes on the bed, before moving to Riku and the brunette leaning against him.

"Kairi…" The brunette began as he registered her arriving.

"Hey…" She walked over to where they sat and gave the boy a hug.

Riku had yet to really acknowledge her, his eyes trained on Eyes as he held his hand. Kairi just wrapped her arms around him in a hug. I could see he had been crying earlier and my heart went out to him. Seeing Eyes just lying there was worse than when I had found out he had been stabbed. I figured there could only have been one person that could have done this.

I approached the bed slowly, and carefully so as to not startle him. The brunette stared at me curiously and I realized we hadn't really been introduced. I smiled uneasily at him, noticing that our hair was pretty close in how it spiked uncontrollably.

"Why are you here?" Riku snapped.

"To visit Eyes, he is my friend after all."

"Riku…he really is here to see how Eyes is doing," Kairi assured.

The brunette touched Riku's arm and smiled reassuringly at Riku. I could tell from watching them that they didn't need to say anything to understand what was in the other's eyes. Riku frowned but nodded stiffly before looking at Eyes again. The brunette turned to me with a kind smile and waved at the seat nearest me. I took it and Kairi sat in the other chair, right next to mine.

The brunette smiled, "I'm Sora."

"Kousuke Asazuki."

"How do you know Eyes?" Sora asked.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you if you tell me your story."

"Our story?" Sora asked.

"I know you aren't from around here, especially with that weapon of Kairi's."

Sora glanced at Kairi who understood, "I used it to threaten him for his phone to talk to Eyes."

"So our story…would that be all the way from the beginning?"

"How about you start with when Eyes left?" I suggested.

Sora looked at the other two debating on how to explain it I could see. Kairi shook her head, as if saying she'd be of no use. Riku just ignored me and Sora gave up trying to get his thoughts on it and sighed.

"Well shortly after Eyes left Kairi had arrived on Destiny Islands. We were sure she was from another world and that seeing as she got there from another world then someone could leave to another world."

"What do you mean other world?"

"Our universe is made up of hundreds of worlds that are not supposed to be connected except in special circumstances. Our world is Destiny Islands. This world is known as Japan."

"How many worlds are there?"

"A lot…I lost count. I'm sure there are more worlds out there then what we've seen also."

"So you think Eyes got off your world and to this one?"

"Yeah, I mean he just disappeared…"

"What happened later?"

"Well when I was 14, along with Kairi, and Riku 15 we made a raft to set sail."

"We never thought it'd get us far but we were hoping," Kairi laughed.

"A storm came and that's when all hell broke loose. Riku acted slightly strange, saying the door had opened and before I could go with him I was pulled back by the light of the keyblade. I ran to our secret cave to find Kairi but she was acting strange. She acted like she was possessed. Next thing I knew wind began blowing inside and she flew through me as I was pushed out of the cave before blacking out."

"What?"

"Let him finish explaining…it's confusing I know…" Kairi assured.

"I awoke in Traverse Town where I met Leon and Yuffie, residents of Radiant Gardens. Traverse Town was the way point for those who survived losing their worlds to the heartless-" Sora continued.

"What's a heartless?"

"A creature made of darkness. It appears after a person loses their heart."

"Loses their heart? You mean when they die?"

"I suppose…it's hard to explain…"

I sighed annoyed, "Continue…"

"They explained to me about the heartless and the keyblade and then I met up with Donald and Goofy. We set out to save the worlds from falling prey to the darkness. Eventually I met up with Riku again but he was different, he seemed angry at me and felt that I had abandoned him and Kairi. At this time I learned that Kairi had lost her heart."

I glanced at Kairi who was just staring into her lap with a look of sadness. Looking at Riku I could tell he regretted what happened back then. Sora also looked sad but he kept a strong front as he continued the story.

"Riku had been given the power to control heartless by a woman named Maleficent who was at the time my main enemy. She had been the one to find him when we left Destiny Islands. Well when I finally arrived at Hollow Bastion, originally Radiant Gardens, I finally found out what was going on. Maleficent was using the seven princesses of heart to open the door of darkness. Kairi happened to be the seventh princess."

I looked over at Kairi in shock, she didn't seem like any princess to me. She seemed like a normal teenage girl to me. Maybe there was something I just wasn't seeing about her.

"Eventually I found out that Riku was being controlled by a man known as Ansem. Ansem completely took over Riku's body and attacked me. After I defeated Riku I took up his sword and pierced my own heart to return Kairi's heart to her. She awoke and I was turned into a heartless, though she was able to bring me back. We were forced to flee back to Traverse Town after that. Eventually I returned to enter the end of the world to defeat Ansem in hopes of getting Riku back. In the end though to seal the darkness away that Ansem had brought out thanks to the Door to Darkness Riku and I had to shut the door for good, with him staying in the realm of darkness. We sealed the door with the help of King Mickey. Afterwards Kairi and I were separated as she returned to Destiny Islands and I went in search of Riku."

I sat there in shock as Sora finished explaining that part. I knew the story wasn't done because he was still thinking of how to express what was next. Riku finally looked away from Eyes as he sighed.

"Sora traveled to a place called Castle Oblivion where members of Organization XIII, a group of nobodies, which will be explained later," He said before I could question, "The catch of this place was that as Sora traveled deeper inside the more he lost his memories or they were altered by a girl named Namine who was being held captive. As Sora climbed to the top I had escaped the realm of darkness in the basement of the castle. As we fought our way through we both encountered many enemies. Sora eventually beat Marluxia, the leader of this group, and saved Namine. She granted him sleep so that she could restore his memories. After defeating the piece of Ansem that still haunted me I met her and promise to help watch over Sora as he slept."

I nodded to show them that I was following, though the story I knew was going to get more confusing. I had a huge list of questions forming inside my mind as I watched them.

Sora took a deep breath as he continued, "During my time asleep, which was a year, Riku found my nobody, Roxas. A nobody is the empty shell of a person after they lose their heart. He helped put Roxas in a virtual world till I was ready to be reunited with him. It turned out that Roxas was originally a part of Organization XIII but had defected. Eventually Roxas and I reunited and set out to save the worlds again while looking for Riku. Our journey led us to The World that never was. I had learned before I arrived that Kairi had been kidnapped by the organization."

I look over at Kairi who was just staring at her friends with a sad smile. Kairi turned to look at me with a smile.

"I arrived at the headquarters of the organization to find Xigbar, their sharpshooter, waiting for me. As I was surrounded by heartless and lower level nobodies I heard Kairi yell out my name. I saw her having arrived in the area above me."

Kairi began to speak before I could ask how she escaped, "My nobody, Namine, helped me escape my cell and as we were running we ran into Saix, the second in command of the organization. As he got ready to attack us a figure in a cloak appeared and stopped Saix. Namine referred to the man as Riku. I followed him to the room Sora was in and when I jumped down to help Sora I was attacked. Riku saved me and gave me my own keyblade so I could help Sora fight."

"A met up with Kairi after words and I saw Ansem with her-" Sora continued.

"Ansem? Didn't you say that Riku saved Kairi?"

"I had taken the form of Ansem to try and overcome my darkness."

"I see…" I stuttered.

"Kairi helped me see it was really Riku then we continued on our journey to find the leader through the base. We eventually beat Xemnas, the nobody part of Xehanort like Ansem was the heartless of Xehanort. Kairi and the others had escaped the realm of darkness thanks to Namine and returned to Destiny Islands. Riku and I were trapped in the realm of darkness till I found Kairi's letter and her light opened the way to Destiny Islands. After that we settled back till Kairi brought a letter from King Mickey saying he found where Eyes was. We set out to come here to bring Eyes home," Sora finished.

We sat there in silence as I tried to take in all that they had said. Boy was it a mouthful and hard to comprehend. I had a feeling that they had gave me the shortened and quick version, with leaving words out that would take a lot to explain. It seemed that it was quite real what they had been through and hard to explain.

"How are the heartless drawn to worlds?"

"By the darkness in a person's heart."

"Wait the darkness in a person's heart?"

"Yeah…" Sora said confused.

"So if say a lot of people were say beings of darkness or something like that since birth that they could draw these creatures?"

"Yes…why?"

"Then this world is most likely doomed."

Kairi blinked at me in surprise, "Why do you say that?"

"Because there are too many of us who reside here who are the children of darkness."

I sighed as I saw I had their complete attention. I could see they all looked equally confused as they tried to go over what I had said. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Look I'm sure Kairi told you that Eyes and I are a part of a group called the Blade Children. We're not the best people to get involved with."

"Why? What are the Blade Children exactly?"

"We're cursed children. We're either killed or we kill. There's nothing more."

"What do you mean? How can children be faced with just those options!" Riku said angrily, I could see he didn't believe Eyes to be a part of this.

I sighed, "Look years ago there was a man named Yaiba Mizushiro. He was called a prodigy at a very young age. It was said if anyone could rule the world it would be him. He was missing a rib which is a trait the blade children share. He was the devil brought to the earth."

"And what do these so called blade children have to do with him?" Riku asked angrily.

"The children Yaiba Mizushiro fathered are known as the Blade Children."

They stared at me in shock. I could see Kairi's eyes widen slightly in horror as she took in what I said. I had a feeling out of the three she believed me the most. Sora seemed to be leaning towards believing what I had said.

"Aren't there a lot of you though?" Kairi asked.

"Yes."

"How could he father so many?"

"He created a society called the Knights and began to take control of the world from the shadows. He had a plan to carry on his gene so he could manipulate the world. His plan was to mass produce his children."

"WHAT?!" Kairi shouted in horror.

"He used artificial insemination and chose the right vessel to carry his children. The children were hoped to gain his talents. From the project 80 children were born by vitro. Eyes, Rio, myself, and several others. We're all children bounded by blood of one father. Meaning Eyes, Rio and the others and myself are all siblings. Eyes is the youngest of us if you must know."

"The youngest? I would have thought Rio to be…" Kairi stated.

"Well the women were chosen by applications so the children were conceived around the same time. I remember hearing of a man named Hojo who traveled to a place far away in search of a likely suitable vessel. In fact if I'm right the vessel turned out to be Eyes' real mother."

"So you're saying my mother chose to be a vessel for some inhumane experiment?" Riku snapped.

"Actually Eyes talked to me. He said he was told that your mother and father thought they wouldn't be able to have children so she took the option of having an artificial insemination. She didn't know about the experiment. Though you were born sometime after this all happened."

They looked at me in shock and I felt annoyed. Normally that Kiriya woman or Eyes would be explaining this stuff not me. It made my head spin just thinking about it.

"Look Yaiba wanted to destroy mankind to make him the superior person. In that way his children were born with the sole purpose of destroying mankind."

"You have to be lying," Riku began.

"Do you really think I am?"

Riku looked down and I could see him thinking everything he knew about Eyes through. I sighed as I stood from my seat.

"Look Eyes left Destiny Islands to protect you from his fate as one of the blade children. I wouldn't let his wishes go in vain. Now if you'll excuse me I must be going."

Kairi looked at me, "Where are you going?"

"To figure out what we are planning to do next. The one who attacked Eyes is a member of the hunters, a group bent on killing the blade children. What makes it worse is that this one agent is also a member of the blade children. He also happens to be Eyes best friend from when he first arrived in this world and the one closest to him."

I turned and left the room before any of them spoke. I walked down the hall heading for Rio's room on another floor. We needed to be careful and begin planning our move. I swore that I wouldn't let those Eyes tried to protect not get hurt because of Kanone.

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**Shirou**:_ I'm soooo sorry about the long wait! It was my fault. Drama and growing up and changing and bleh. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!_


	22. Desperado

**Shirou: **_Finally! So sorry about the wait. It's my fault. But now that Hachi's back in a writing mood, she can help get my ass to move and actually get to writing as well._

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_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I watched Riku, concerned for his health at the moment. He sat next to Eyes' bed, clutching his brother's hand, his eyes never leaving Eyes' face. I sighed, debating on how to approach the topic I needed to discuss with Riku. I already knew that Riku was going to be pissed at what I was about to suggest.

"Riku…" I began carefully, "You need to get ready for school."

Riku didn't move as he responded, "School?"

"Yes…I know you're worried about Eyes, but you should still attend classes…" I began to explain.

"How can I concentrate on school if Eyes is here?" Riku snapped.

I didn't back down as I heard his aggressive tone, "I just think it'd be good for you to get out of here, have a change of environment."

"What's the point in going to school anyways? It was only supposed to be 'til we found Eyes. We've found him, so there is no point to continue attending," Riku stated in a monotone voice.

"Riku! We need to go! Come on and get ready-" I began before Riku finally turned as he stood to look at me.

I froze as my eyes locked with Riku's, resisting the urge to flee. I had never seen Riku so angry before, not even when he was being controlled by Ansem. I hated the dark look in Riku's eyes as he glared at me.

"If you want to go to school so damn much, then go! I won't stop you! You may not care about Eyes, but I do! I won't leave his side for a moment! So if you're precious school is so much more important than Eyes then just get out of here!" He growled out.

I clenched my fists, "I don't think it's more important…but sometimes you have to do things you don't want for the greater good. If we don't go to school it'll look suspicious, especially if people find out you're here. Who knows what other blade children may think…"

Riku watched me coldly, "What do they matter?"

I glared at him, "Eyes is apparently they're leader and he was just stabbed! You show up out of nowhere as his brother, that's going to target you for sure! What if the blade children think you stabbed Eyes?"

"Then let them!" Riku snapped again.

I watched Riku, noting the change in his posture and attitude. It had been a day since Eyes was stabbed, and in that whole time, Riku changed. I sighed, not wanting to argue anymore, knowing it wouldn't work.

"At least go to school…" I began quietly.

Riku turned from me and sat back down, "No. Get out of here Sora, I don't want to see you right now."

"What do you mean by that?" I cried out.

"I mean that I don't want to see you, you're only reason for coming here isn't going to happen. So you better leave now," Even though it wasn't said I could sense the unspoken threat in Riku's tone.

"Or what?" I asked my voice quiet.

"I don't want to hurt you…" Riku muttered angrily.

I froze at that, knowing the tone in Riku's voice meant he would do just that. I held back the tears in my eyes before heading to the door. I opened it and as I exited it I looked over my shoulder.

I tried to find something to say, "If something like this is going to break apart our friendship…if you think I don't care or you doubt me that much…then maybe it wasn't meant to be…Take care of yourself…"

I quickly closed the door, before Riku could reply. I ran down the hall and too the elevator, still holding back my tears. The entire walk to school was uneventful; my eyes remained on the ground not believing what was happening. My thoughts trained on what happened at the hospital.

As I finally reached it, I avoided Kairi's gaze as I headed to my classroom, I didn't even meet Ayumu's as I sat down in class. I just put my head down on my desk as I tried to calm myself down, I couldn't afford to lose control now.

_**Kairi's P.O.V.**_

I had never seen Sora like that. He looked as if he had just gotten his heart broken. Something had happened that morning with Riku, I just knew it. Ever since Eyes had been hurt, Riku changed. If I saw it, then Sora must have felt it. It was painful seeing my friends drifting apart like this. I barely paid attention in class as all of this swam around in my head. My fingers played with my Wayfinder under the desk.

I must have looked sad, because after class Sakura asked what was wrong. But I couldn't tell her. I couldn't drag her into this mess with me. She was far too nice. I simply smiled and said I was just thinking before turning to walk quickly away. The Blade Children, Eyes, Riku, Kousuke, Sora… it was all spiraling out of control.

I needed to talk to someone, though. There was Ayumu or Hiyono of course, but Sora would probably be with them in the club room. That left only one person, Kousuke. He had enrolled in the school, and I knew approximately where his class was.

I was about to turn a corner when I heard a girl's voice. "If Rutherford dies…you can never go back." She said.

I stopped dead, my heart pounding. Rutherford was Eyes' last name here. I stood still to listen.

"Hmph, I've decided to live the remainder of my life as a 'hunter'." A male voice responded back. He had a slightly different accent than other people around here, meaning he must have been from a different country. "I'm going to hunt all the detestable Blade Children. And then…give those who started this nightmare their proper dues."

I held a hand over my mouth to stifle my gasp. This person was going to hunt the Blade Children? Then, could he have been the one who stabbed Eyes?

"I have no intention of going back to anywhere." He continued. "As far as my abilities allow, I will pass judgment on all sinners."

There was a pause. I wanted to peek around the corner to see who it was, but I was too afraid. My legs wouldn't move. I could only listen as the conversation continued.

"…Pass judgment?" I heard Kousuke scoff. "You and I are both murderers. No matter what you say, we don't deserve that justice."

My whole body was trembling. When I heard Kousuke explain it before, it still hadn't quite sunk in. He really has killed people before. My mind whirled. Hearing his voice now, however, gave me the will to move. I leaned against the wall and carefully looked around the corner. Kousuke and a girl with short brown hair stood with their backs to me. They were facing a boy who looked about Eyes' age with auburn hair and soft brown eyes.

"I know." The boy said. "I don't think of it as justice. "Those born of darkness will be returned to that darkness by the hand of others like them. That's all." He lifted his hand up to his head, his fingers mimicking the shape of a gun. "And eventually…I'll blow my brains out with this hand…so that I too can return to the darkness."

My eyes widened and I held my hand tight over my mouth to keep any sounds from escaping. This was all very different from anything I had faced before. Even being captured by the Organization didn't compare to this. Up until now, we'd all been fighting monsters, not people. But this boy was talking about actually taking lives, his own included. My head was spinning so much, I missed the next couple of things they said. When I tuned back in to the conversation, Kousuke had taken a step closer to the other boy.

"…I wouldn't mind sharing my lot with you, and making it a double suicide, got it." Kousuke said in a deadly serious tone.

I couldn't stop my gasp this time as my heart nearly stopped at the thought of Kousuke dying. The boy facing me glanced in my direction, his eyes dark as they briefly met mine. I quickly turned around and pressed myself against the wall.

"A lovers' suicide with another guy? Talk about unsavory tastes." I heard the boy say in a very calm, teasing tone.

"I'm not the one with sick tastes here!" Kousuke snapped back.

There was a pause before I heard the boy continue. "No need to be so jumpy now. It's still too soon for the 'hunt'. I only just got to Japan, and I haven't gathered all the weapons I'll need yet. We'll be in the preparation stage for a little while."

I heard his footsteps coming in my direction, but then they stopped and I could only guess he turned around to look back at the other two. "But…once those preparations are complete, death will be after you."

There was another pause, and I squeezed my eyes shut in fear.

His tone was lighter when he spoke up again. "And with that, let's all enjoy our school life together!" I heard him continue to walk, and in a matter of seconds he was walking passed right where I was standing. His eyes glanced to me as he passed. At first they were dangerous, slitted like the eyes of all the other Blade Children's. But then he suddenly smiled at me and continued on.

I watched his back as he walked away, frozen to the spot. It was several seconds before I could turn into the hallway Kousuke was standing in. His eyes widened as he saw me, clearly surprised that I was there.

"Kairi?" He asked, quickly walking over to me with a worried expression.

"Kousuke…" I said weakly, tears flowing down my cheeks.

_**Sora's P.O.V.**_

I sighed as I sat across from Ayumu in the journalism office. We had headed to the office immediately to meet up with Hiyono. I felt like leaving though when the topic turned out to be about Eyes' stabbing, I really didn't want to hear any of it right now.

"About what happened to Rutherford haven't there been any follow-up reports?" Ayumu asked as he glanced at Hiyono.

"Nothing's changed since yesterday. The policed don't have any clue to the culprit's identity. And Rutherford-san is teetering on the brink of death," Hiyono said as she brought her hand to her chest, "He's been unconscious the whole time…in the worst case scenario, he might even die…"

"Shit!" Ayumu slammed his hand on the table, "What's going on here!? This must have something to do with my brother and the blade children!"

Hiyono watched Ayumu worriedly, "…Let's calm down, Narumi-san…We have to calm down and analyze the situation."

"I know that," I glanced up to watch Ayumu now, "But this isn't…the way things are supposed to go…you-"

I watched Ayumu intently, wondering what he was going to say. I had a feeling it was intense, and even though I didn't want to be in the topic, I knew it was important. I had to put aside my hurt feelings to access the situation better. Before Ayumu could continue though, Hiyono interrupted him.

"Come on! Come on! A mind can't function on an empty stomach!" She said with a huge smile as she sat next to Ayumu, "So today let's have obentou! I wonder what today's side dish iiiiis!?

I blinked as I saw her grab Ayumu's lunch and pull it in front of her. I laughed as I saw her just begin to unwrap it without a single care in the world. As I looked down at my own lunch and began to eat it, listening to them banter.

"Ah!" Ayumu said shocked as he saw Hiyono go to open it, "Hold it! Don't go opening my bentou box without asking!"

"Aww, what's the problem? Your homemade obentou's so good it's not fair, Narumi-san."

Before Ayumu could argue anymore a knock came at the door, stopping all conversation. Hiyono smiled brightly as she stood and looked at the door. I just glanced at the door, wondering who would come visit the room, almost no one came.

"Yes, who is it?" Hiyono called, "It's open!"

The door opened quietly and a young boy walked stood in the doorway. He had auburn hair and soft brown eyes, and looked really friendly. As I observed him some more I guessed he may be near Eyes' age. He gave us all a warm smile, and I didn't feel the least bit afraid of him.

"…Can I help you?" Hiyono asked confused before she brightened, "Ah! Are you hoping to join this club?"

"I'm sorry, no." The boy waved his hand as he smiled brightly, "I have business with Ayumu Narumi-kun over there."

Hiyono and Ayumu both looked at the guy confused, Ayumu's eyes were wide. It was weird that someone wanted Ayumu for something. Generally people avoided him, for a reason I don't quite know. I watched the boy in interest, even though he wasn't that intimidating I had a feeling something was wrong about him.

Ayumu finally spoke after a moment, "…Me?"

"Yes."

The boy closed the door behind him and walked further into the room. As I watched him I felt something was even more off about the boy. I just couldn't place why I didn't trust him, he hadn't done anything to us.

"Nice to meet you." The boy smiled brightly as he looked at us, "I'm one of the blade children, Kanone Hilbert."

"Huh?" All three of us asked in unison, shocked by what he just said.

"There's something I need your help with." He continued to smile, "Won't you please hear me out?"

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**Shirou:** _Just so you know, I wasn't expecting Sora to break up with Riku. That was all Hachi's idea. As a side note, we now have Eyes following this story. Earlier Ayumu started following it. Now all we need are Sora and Riku or the other Blade Children._

_Also, we have a tumblr now. We'll be posting updates and other things relating to our stories on there. Please follow us! _

**Hachi: It'd be sweet if the other blade children or Sora or Riku followed this story. So I wasn't expecting the break up either…I originally planned the fight to be a flashback scene, but at the time of writing the original I got swamped and my notes got misplaced. So I rewrote what I thought it was, and it turned out this seemed like a better fit!**

**By the way the title: Desperado is a chess term meaning: A piece that is going to be captured anyway so it may be able to "sacfrifice" itself at the highest cost. I thought it really fit Kanone's character throughout his entire existence in Spiral.**

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**Reviewer's Corner:**

**~Ch. 21~**

**To ****Ern Estine 13624****:** Thanks. We both hope you keep reading and enjoying!


	23. Domination

**Hachi: So yeah, hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter! Sorry we meant to post this earlier, but Shirou kept mistaking this chapter for another…oh well it's up now!**

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**_Sora's P.O.V._  
**

"There's something I need your help with." He continued to smile, "Won't you please hear me out?"

"…H-Hold on a second. Did you just say you're a blade child?" Ayumu asked his eyes wide.

I had to admit I was shocked as well to how open the guy was. With how Kousuke made it sound, it didn't seem safe to let someone know if you were one of the blade children. Still he was asking for help, so maybe he wasn't that bad, not that the blade children we knew so far were bad.

The boy brightened and smiled, "If you want a cute nick-name for it, you can call me a 'Blachi'."

I blinked as Ayumu shouted at the boy, "Like this is any time to be talking about nick-names!"

'_Blachi though is so much easier to say then Blade Child…'_ I thought as I looked between the two.

"Why would someone like you need my cooperation!?" Ayumu shouted as he slammed his hands on the table while standing abruptly.

"Well, you see…Eyes, Asazuki…Ryouko, and Rio are all against me." He explained as he held a finger up.

I looked at him as I heard him say Eyes' name. I already didn't trust him if he was against Eyes. Eyes was always good at seeing the good in people, and if this person was their enemy then he was mine as well.

Ayumu glanced at Hiyono, "Against you?"

Kanone nodded with a sad smile, "We used to be allies, but that's been completely undone."

I wondered what could have undone their bonds, it seemed like all the blade children had the same problems. As I watched him I couldn't help but pity him though, he may be against Eyes but he seemed so nice also. I couldn't see him being a threat to Eyes in the long run.

"I have a 'wish' that I would risk my life to fulfill," He said seriously, "That's why I've come here all the way from England."

'_Where's England? Is that another world? Or another location in this one?' _I thought, though I knew to keep my mouth shut.

"But they're trying to keep that wish from coming true," Kanone finished explaining.

"…So Asazuki transferring here and Ryouko Takamachi appearing were both counter-measures against you?" Ayumu asked.

"Yes. That's why I have to fight them. All for this 'wish' I can't give up," Kanone stated.

I watched Kanone, wondering what his wish was. He seemed very serious about whatever it was. I felt like I wanted to help him about with how sad he looked and the way he spoke.

Kanone held out his hand, "…I want you to help me. You should be against them already too."

I watched Ayumu intently to see what he would do, I'd plan my next move on his. I watched as Ayumu just stared at the hand intently, I wondered what he was thinking about. He brought his right hand up to scratch the back of his head but still didn't say anything. Finally he sat down, and Kanone blinked, watching Ayumu just as intently as me.

"You…seem to be up on everything that's been happening around me lately, eh?" Ayumu asked finally.

Kanone smiled, "I can't help it. I was in contact with Eyes until just recently. I'm rather well-informed about the situation."

Ayumu continued to stare at Kanone as if evaluating him and Kanone met his gaze. The tension felt so thick to me I felt I could cut it with my keyblade. I wondered what all the blade children did to Ayumu, couldn't be that bad could it?

"Without knowing what that 'wish' of yours is…" Ayumu looked down before looking back up at Kanone, "…I can't shake on it."

Kanone cocked his head to the side with a smile, "…It's nothing that really requires any explanation."

The room became quiet and tense again as Kanone said that. I could tell from Hiyono's face that she didn't like the tension like I did. I was tempted to break the silence but felt that would ruin the conversation so I hoped someone would do something fast.

"Aaaah I'll…make some tea!" Hiyono said as she smiled and hurried past Kanone, "Perfect timing too since we just got ourselves a new tea set!"

I watched as Hiyono went to the coffee maker before turning back to Ayumu and Kanone. I was thanking Hiyono in my head for breaking the tension in the room. I breathed a sigh of relief before glancing at Kanone, I felt like something was off about him all of a sudden as Ayumu spoke his next words.

"…So? What's your 'wish'?"

Ayumu looked up as Kanone reached into his pocket, "To have all the blade children…obliterated," Kanone stated in a deadly tone as he pulled out a gun.

Hiyono turned at that and as she saw the gun, the tea cup she held fell from her hands, crashing on the floor. I jumped out of my seat, eyes wide as I saw Kanone move to Ayumu. He held the gun to the right side of Ayumu's head, he now stood facing my direction. His eyes went over both Hiyono and I as he smiled.

I stood still, but my hand was itching to save the keyblade. I knew it would be too soon if I did it now. We needed to find out more about him before I attacked him. If he even moved to pull the trigger though, I'd make sure he was taken out before he knew what hit him.

"Don't you remember hearing it?" Kanone asked.

"'The blade children are dangerous and must be destroyed.'" Ayumu recited, acting completely calm despite the situation, "Yeah, I remember."

"It's true. As a fellow blade child, I guarantee it. There's no limit to how dangerous our presence is to this world"

'_Technically he's right…if they really are the children of darkness…then this world will fall prey to the heartless soon…' _I thought as I watched him.

"…So you're going to kill them all…is that it?" Ayumu asked, before Kanone could reply Ayumu continued, "Is that what you call justice?"

"No." Kanone watched Ayumu seriously, "It's my responsibility as one of their cursed numbers."

I held my breath, waiting to see if one of them would say anything else. I saw Kanone move his hand slightly, his hand tightening on the gun. I saw his finger move a bit on the trigger and I began to get ready to leap at him if needed.

"Let me hear your answer. Will you cooperate? Or refuse?" Kanone asked, he didn't give Ayumu a chance to reply, "If you're going to cooperate, then that's fine. But should you refuse I'll see you as an enemy," Ayumu continued to sit there as Kanone continued, "And with you being such an extraordinarily dangerous enemy…there's no way I can let you live."

Kanone's eyes glanced over both Hiyono and I from out places in the room. I noticed Hiyono flinch out of the corner of my eye as he glanced at her. His gaze was definitely a deadly one, and I didn't trust him to just let us go after this all happened.

"If that happens, I'm sorry but…I'll also have to keep these witnesses to the murder silent," Kanone threatened.

Ayumu remained quiet as Kanone said that. I resisted the urge to just lunge at Kanone at that moment. The blade child wasn't kidding, and I wasn't entirely sure now id I'd be able to protect the others. I knew I needed to get him away from them if it got dangerous. I was ready to launch when Ayumu finally spoke.

"So you're the one who stabbed Rutherford?"

Kanone smirked, "You could say that, yes…"

I froze as I heard him admit that and the room became quiet again. This boy was the one who stabbed Eyes. I had to literally fight with my urges to jump across the table and attack Kanone. I knew if I just latched out that Ayumu might get injured or even Hiyono. Though the guy deserved a good beating for hurting Eyes I knew better then to let my anger get the better of me.

"If you wanna shoot, shoot." Ayumu said, causing Kanone to just stare at him.

"Wh-Narumi-san!" Hiyono moved forward a bit as she shouted, "This guy stabbed Rutherford-san! He's serious!"

Ayumu smiled, "He won't shoot me," I blinked wondering why he thought that before Ayumu spoke again, "If he did, the sound of the gunshot would immediately bring people running. And having been the one to fire the gun, he'd be left with the stubborn residue of gunpowder on him."

I watched Ayumu shocked, _'I don't really know what he's talking about but it sounds like we may not have anything to worry about. Ayumu sure is smart…'_

"Even if he killed us where we stand…it wouldn't even take an hour before he was apprehended by the police," Ayumu continued, "And if that happened, his precious 'wish' would never come true. So he can't shoot us right?"

"…Impressive…" I thought we won before Kanone smiled, "…Or so I'd like to say. But, regrettably your assumption is a bit naïve."

I blinked at that, trying to figure out what Kanone meant. I was sure that there was no way he could get away with killing anyone at the moment. Ayumu seemed to have him pegged so what was the blade child talking about. Ayumu glanced at him, trying to figure out was Kanone was talking about as well.

"This is an air gun," Kanone explained, "It won't emit a noise, and it won't leave behind any gunpowder residue. I can shoot silently without leaving a trace."

My eyes widened at that but Ayumu only smiled and waved his hand, "You're putting the cart before the horse. A toy like an air gun can't kill anybody."

"You mustn't make light of air pressure," Kanone stated in a deadly tone, "Air guns can be used for hunting too."

Kanone moved the gun away from Ayumu's head and stretched his right arm all the way out so the Gun was at full extension, facing the wall near the door. He never once took his eyes off of Ayumu as he did this. As he flicked his wrist up, his fingers pressed the trigger faster than I could see. No sound came from the gun, but I saw something fast slam into the wall digging itself right into it.

Hiyono turned sharply, her eyes wide with fear, "The bullet dug itself right into the wall! It's supposed to be concrete right!?"

Kanone pressed the gun back against Ayumu's head, "…A normal air gun can only shoot its .3 gram BB bullets at a rate of 60 to 70 meters per second," Ayumu's eyes were wide, "But because this gun was modified…it has 150 units of pressurized air behind each round, launching its four gram lead bullets at a muzzle velocity of 150 meters per second up to ten consecutive rounds."

'_No way…'_ My eyes were wide as I watched him, not sure what to do now.

"It's still inferior to a real gun, but if I were to fire five or six rounds into your head from this distance, it'd be enough to kill you."

Ayumu watched Kanone, and Hiyono stepped back afraid of the guy. I could only watch, debating if I would be able to help. Just watching Kanone's reflexes showed me that he was fast. Would I be fast enough to get him before he shot Ayumu?

"Let's have your answer." Kanone said dangerously, his eyes narrowed, "Will you cooperate? Or refuse?"

Ayumu stayed quiet and finally Hiyono shouted in worry and fear, "Na-Narumi-san!"

"Even so, you still can't shoot me." Ayumu stated with a smirk.

Hiyono quieted, looking at Ayumu in shock, her eyes still full of worry. Kanone looked surprised at Ayumu's reply as well, not expecting it. I just stared, staying silent, also hoping that Kanone would forget about me enough so that I could sneak an attack.

"That gun might do the trick, but you'd have to fire a whole five rounds to kill me." Ayumu explained before glancing at Hiyono, "In that time, seeing as she's so near the door…she could run outside…and call for help."

I smiled at Ayumu's explanation, _'That's right! We still have an advantage!'_

"Even if you can kill me…you still can't keep her mouth shut. You'd get caught. So you can't shoot." Ayumu glanced at Hiyono, "Get ready to make a dash for it! If he fires run out of the room!"

"Got it!" Hiyono promised as she smiled, "I'll run right away if he attacks!"

"Put the gun down. You've lost."

Kanone remained quiet for a moment before pushing the gun more into Ayumu's head, "…Not yet. There's a hole in your logic."

I noticed Ayumu tense as he heard Kanone say this and Hiyono looked shocked for a second. I wonder what he was talking about. I froze as his eyes briefly glanced at me and then Hiyono. So he hadn't forgotten I was there.

"You really think that if I shot and killed you right in front of her…she wouldn't hesitate for a second before running away?"

My eyes widened as I thought of that as well. I thought it over and I realized that Hiyono might hesitate, heck even I may hesitate. I knew though that if he did attack Ayumu I wouldn't run, I'd attack Kanone myself.

"When somebody you care about is murdered before your eyes…you'd typically freeze from the shock…or rush to the body and call out their name. It's one or the other." Kanone explained like a skilled killer, "Even knowing they'd be the next to die…few would run away immediately without pause. So after I kill you…I still have the chance to seal her lips forever."

I saw Ayumu tense a bit and realize that he knew he lost in that scenario. I got ready to charge if I needed to. My right hand began to itch as I restrained it till I needed to summon the keyblade. My other hand began to flex, as I began to prepare a fire spell in my mind, if needed I would throw something at him to shock him.

Kanone pressed the gun harder to Ayumu's head, "If it turns out that she's in the minority, I lose. If not I win. I wouldn't mind testing it out either."

"…Just quit while you're ahead. She's no ordinary girl. You're at a disadvantage," Ayumu stated with a smile still holding onto that trump card.

Everyone stood there quietly for a while trying to figure out if Ayumu was telling the truth. I saw Kanone's gaze shift to me briefly before returning to Ayumu. Hiyono stood still, just watching Ayumu, I could see her shaking a bit.

"What about him?" Kanone asked nodding in my direction.

Hiyono glanced at me as Ayumu did also, "Sora? If you shot he wouldn't hesitate in any form of an action," Ayumu stated confidently.

My eyes widened as I realized that Ayumu trusted me enough to not freeze if I need to take action. I had a feeling that he knew I was no ordinary student, and from how smart he was I wasn't surprised. I watched him, thinking over every scenario that could happen from this point on as everyone waited with baited breaths.

"…Just kidding!" Kanone moved the gun away surprising us all as he smiled happily again, "I wasn't going to shoot you from the very beginning."

I blinked, _'Does this guy have multiple personality disorder or something?'_

Hiyono sighed and I allowed myself to relax a bit. Still being on the cautious side I maintained the spell in my mind for a quick cast in case I needed it. Ayumu and I both watched Kanone carefully, not trusting him.

"I've decided not to kill anybody but the blade children. No matter what handicaps that gives me, that's the only rule I'll follow…just think of that as my last shred of dignity," He said as he became serious again before pocketing the gun, "I only came to check today. I'm counting on you not becoming an enemy of mine."

He said as he walked to the doo before opening it. He turned and smiled cheerfully as he waved before slamming the door shut. Hiyono immediately ran over to Ayumu as soon as the door closed.

"Are you okay!? Narumi-san!?"

Ayumu looked at her a bit freaked out, "I'm still alive, so…I guess you can count that as 'okay'…"

I let out a sigh of relief before collapsing back into my chair. All this was too much for me, my heart was still pounding in my chest. That guy was definitely dangerous, more dangerous than Xemnas and Asnem at least. I had no idea of what to do now about the situation.

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**Hachi: God damn it Kanone! Why did you have to have such a long thing! A whole chapter dedicated to this scene! Anyways, Kanone really does go between the cute innocent looking kid to the serial killer looking one, it's scary! **

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**Hachi -and- Shiro . tumblr . com**

**Everything is lower cased! Like Shirou said last chapter, we will be posting updates, like what stories we've recently updated. Also we'll have special posts such as character overview where we tell you how we see the characters. I suppose we'll also discuss how the stories came to be and our trip to the current point. We'll also probably do reviews for any series mentioned for this series. So I hope you guys will preview out page and follow us to see what we put!**

**Also the chapter title, Domination, is also a chess term: meaning when a knight or bishop dominate the other, by guarding all its potential moves. I thought it fit to how Kanone acts in this chapter.**

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**Reviewer's corner:**

**~Ch. 22~**

**To Ern Estine 13624:** **Thanks again for another review and we hope you'll continue to enjoy.**


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